Diablo 2: Longing to be with you
by Amethyst Haze
Summary: FINISHED!!! The unspoken love between a Paladin and a Sorceress runs into several obstacles... another love.
1. Chapter 1

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 1)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

"Nevia!!" 

Breathing heavily and fueled by adrenaline mixed with dread, Erix charged the large and muscle mass of fur. The gleaming metal flashing in the nearby torch lights was dripping of blood that splattered out. As the long sword swung out in a perfect and powerful arc

when it flashed in the nearby light of a wall torch and found itself a new home, imbedded into the arm of a gargantuan beast. "Damn you!!" 

With a pained howl, the beast fought back and pushed his assailant back forcefully enough to send him staggering from the blow. The beast's bloodied eyes, red from its own eyes, centered on his main target. Next to a broken long staff was the lithe body of a young woman clad in green and gold who was slumped unconscious against the stone wall- a sorceress. It was her charged bolts that so kindly made his eyes bloody and her firebolts that was responsible for the gaping wound on his back. 

Snarling, the beasts' right hand swung out, striking the left side of her head. The circlet perched upon her head flew off and hit the wall diagonally behind the beast as the sorceress hit the floor.

The attack ignited more rage from the paladin. 

"Nooo!" Erix cried out angrily. His boots raced across the stone floor with such alacrity. He rushed the beast, smashing his gilded shield into the back of the creature's cranium before striking him three times in quick succession - Zeal is what he called this attack. The creature screamed and writhed in agony as more of its blood was shed and the pain was clearer to it than ever before. It knew that this was its last moments of life. 

The paladin threw his shield to the ground and gripped his sword with two hands. The hilt was held so tightly it was as though Erix believed himself to be strangling the beast's neck. He swung his blade with all of his might, feeling the energy pour out from both of his powerfully muscled arms. The beast's severed head rolled away into the shadows, its neck squirting blood like a dying fountain struggling to continue on by nature. When the body of the creature crumpled to the ground, its dark fur collecting its own blood, the paladin bent down to pick up the small sorceress and tried to wake her.

"Nevia, Nevia..." He shook her shoulder; gently yet rough enough to hopefully rouse the petite woman. "Can you hear me?"

No response. 

He quietly changed holy words and felt the warm and inviting power of his prayer aura descend upon him and the woman. He sighed and threw out a town portal scroll before picking up the young woman and carrying her into the brilliant light of a swirling blue portal. This was not the first time his partner ended unconscious due to her impulsive actions, and, as usual, Erix was the one who had to run in and play the hero just to save her ass. 

* * * 

Coughing and desperately gasping for air through the water sloshing in her throat, her eyes fluttered open. She rolled onto her side and spat the water as her hands gently cradled her stomach. The brown dirt and soil eagerly sucked up the water, leaving a dark stain on the ground where Nevia's rejected drink once was.

She groaned then blasted air out of her nostrils to expel any water that dared ventured up those passages. Dark eyes glared at the paladin as she wiped her wet lips with her arm.

"Dammit! What's the big idea??!" she shouted angrily. The man who those harsh words were directed to straightened up and stepped back, leaning against one of the many crates scattered in the Rogue encampment.

He removed his helmet, shaking his dark locks as he spoke in a low and clearly furious voice, "I should be asking YOU that."

Nevia sighed and returned with an incredibly feeble apology, "I'm sorry, Erix, really, I am. But," she bit down on her lip. "It was important." 

"Important???" Erix repeated, "What is so important that you have to blindly run into a room full of gargantuans??! What, is it another mana potion like last time? Is that worth risking your life over?" He gritted his teeth and quickly exhaled out in frustration. Once again, Nevia was trying to rationalize her reckless behaviour. In Erix's mind, there was no excuse whatsoever for her actions.

Nevia's head shook, "Don't be silly--" 

"-Don't be stupid," he retorted quickly, receiving a glare for that remark.

"I saw these." One by one, from tucked into her belt, she pulled out three gold rings, each one decorated with a different coloured gem. She quickly explained the magical qualities of each ring excitedly and ended off her long advertisement with, "If I sell these, I'll have enough to gamble with Gheed for that amulet I've been eyeing for quite some time." 

Damn you, woman... You're gonna be the end of me, he thought, feeling as though his veins could jump out of his body and strangle the life out of his partner. Instead, his tightly balled-up fist shook with unfiltered anger, "You nearly died for an AMULET????!" 

"Not just any amulet," she retorted, crossing her arms defiantly, "I have a feeling it'll be an angelic amulet. And I really need that, my skills aren't that great to even--" Erix quickly cut her off by throwing his full helmet to the ground in frustration. The helmet dully deflected off the ground and bumped Nevia's heavy leather boots.

"You're impossible!!" he yelled, throwing his shield into a crate and storming away from her towards Deckard Cain. The old and frail man glanced at Nevia concerned then back at Erix as he walked off to Warriv.

Nevia finally picked up Erix's helmet and sighed. She walked around the camp, heading to Akara's little corner. Passing the small stone wall, she spotted the purple-cloaked mage seated on a thick tree stump, hard at work researching magic as usual. She was quickly flipping through a thick book that was obviously old considering the yellowed and worn out pages.

"Akara?" Nevia quietly asked.

The middle-aged woman looked up and smiled serenely, "Oh, you're back from the monastery already. How was it?" She stood up and returned the book to a heavy chest on the floor. It creaked on its hinges as it opened and closed.

"It was alright," the sorceress replied. "There weren't as many monsters as last time."

"Well, that's expected considering you and Erix killed Andariel," the older woman chuckled, beckoning the sorceress to take the seat on the tree stump. Nevia complied as Akara took her own seat on the heavy wooden chest.

"I know, but, there were a few monsters, mostly in packs. It's still reasonably safe to pass through though. Warriv won't have too much trouble since Erix and I will be along for the ride."

Akara nodded solemnly, studying the young sorceress' facial features, "You don't seem too happy about something."

Nevia hesitated, fearful of receiving a lecture from Akara. "Uh, I was hoping there'd be more monsters since I need more money."

The older woman chuckled and shook her head, "It's not money that you need, it's experience. You're still young and-"

"--I'm nineteen," she cut in, annoyed that she was being treated and spoken to like a mere child. 

She nodded and smiled wistfully, "And full of youth. Don't worry about money...." She paused, "Tell me, how much gold did you take from Andariel's throne room?"

"About four thousand pieces," she arched an eyebrow, "Why?"   
"How much did Erix take?"   
Nevia lowered her head, embarrassed. "... about forty pieces," she answered sheepishly.

Akara coughed back a laugh, "Yes, well, before you woke up, he paid me forty thousand to replace something.... do you understand what I am getting--" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Nevia jumped up from the tree stump and, in disbelief, her face reddening slightly in humiliation as she bared her teeth, "He's such a hypocrite!" All the harsh words Erix ever said to her about materialism rushed back and began to hollow of its meaning. 

How dare he!" Nevia thought, "Telling me junk about how bad materialism is."   
"He's worse than I am!!"

"No, no..." Akara interjected quickly, not wanting Nevia's temper to flare up worse than her inferno spells. "I didn't mean it as he saves and spends money madly, I meant that over years he's saved up little-by-little."

"Oh..." she paused, her eyebrows furrowing. Nevia shook her head, "What costs that much though?"

She smiled and pointed at the staff rack behind Nevia, "Why don't you take a look in that pouch there?" 

Nevia glanced curiously at the frail mage and then at the staff rack where she could see a red velvet pouch, the length of her forearm, hanging. She picked up the pouch, her fingers unconsciously stroking the soft and sensual fabric as she returned to the tree stump where she hesitantly opened it. A gasp escaped her lips as she pulled out a decorated wand. On one end, it was shaped like a large eagle's claw, detailed to every crease in the skin and jagged edge of the nails as it grasped a smooth and clearly flawless crystal orb. The handle was embossed with gold and silver and even shone brilliantly in the dim light like hope lost in chaos.

"It's beautiful..." she quietly remarked, her eyes sparkling as she admired the precious lightweight weapon. 

"It's in the angelic class of orbs," Akara explained. "It will magnify your magicks a bit, but... only fire spells, unfortunately."

"Really?" Nevia seemed amazed and not the least bit dissapointed with the restriction of power amplification. "That's....." she trailed off as it hit her. She looked at Akara, eyes wide, "This is for... for... me??" she squeaked as she spoke.

Akara nodded solemnly and Nevia's eyes lit in a most curious way; it was a mix of childish glee and humbled shock. "No way..." She said in a breathy voice. "Erix got this for me...?" She was both touched and confused by this sudden gesture. Even though she had been his partner since the day they ran into each other in the Cold Plains when she was being chased by a large gang of corrupted rogues, she didn't think he'd be so kind to buy her anything. But... how could she not think he wouldn't buy anything for her? 

Right... she thought bitterly. in his eyes, I'm like his little sister...

"I can't use this," she said simply, hoping her excuse would be good enough to reject such a fabulous and pricey gift. "I don't have a shield--" 

"Charsi should be done by now." 

"What??" 

Akara smiled, "I used to have Sigon's tower shield, but, Erix bought it from me and asked Charsi to repair it since it's rather old." Nevia was confused. "The Sigon tower shield is mysterious in its powers... said to empower any fighter in every way... but, only a little bit." the older woman explained with a simple smile. "Is it no wonder to see why he elt you'd be better off with it?" 

".. Me?" She repeated, dazed as she walked away from Akara, the red velvet pouch still in her hand.

"Don't forget to say thanks to Erix," she called as Nevia walked away and silently headed over to the campfire. Her thoughts were churning and a strange feeling of foreboding filled her as she drew closer to the contained blaze.

Erix looked up at her immediately as his finely-tuned ears picked up the sound of her boots shhfff-ing against the crumbly soil. His eyes glinted a strange awareness as she sat down on an old rotted log placed nearby.

Nevia gripped the velvet pouch tightly, her fingers still unconsciously stroking it. She watched as his gaze trailed down, glued to the slow movement of her slim and dainty hands. His eyes flickered up back to her and remained fixed until Nevia turned away, swallowing nervously.

A moment of silence haunted the two of them. Erix nervously removed one of his light plated gauntlets and helmet, setting them on the ground. "Did you get that amulet you wanted?" He asked, not seeming all that interested. 

Startled, Nevia scooted herself slightly away from him on the log they sat upon. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I did..." She lowered her head, upset, "But, it wasn't what I was hoping it would be." 

"Sorry to hear that," he said automatically.

More silent uneasiness came. I don't know how much more of this I can take, Nevia thought, taking a deep breath to summon up the courage to speak her mind.

"Um, Erix, why did you buy it for me?" 

"Because you staff broke," he replied simply.

Nevia shook her head as she removed the beautiful wand from it's velvet prison. "But, this is expensive... I know you don't hoard gold like I do. You could've just bought a plain short staff for me instead." 

"I know, but, no," a brisk reply.

Her eyes narrowed, "Why are you like this?! I don't want to feel as though I owe you anything, Erix. You've done so much for me already. Please, can't you ask Akara to give you your money back, return the stuff and get me a plain old staff?" 

"No." That was all.

"And why not? I never asked to get really good stuff, which actually turns out to be the best that Akara had at that time. I didn't ask for the best! I already owe you my life, I don't want to owe you anything else!" she cried, trying to keep her voice down to not wake anyone in the camp.

"I know."

Frustrated with his small and unsatisfactory answers, Nevia shook her head and left the log, heading towards her own set up tent, "Why do you do such things??! Arghhh...."  
When Nevia's hand pressed against the canvas flap entrance of the tent, he heard Erix's reply: "...because... I think I'm in lo..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head with a sigh.

Still facing the tent, her face not visible to the paladin who just confessed his feelings, her eyes widened in shock and her breath froze in her throat. She knew exactly what he was going to say... or at least she thought she did... She didn't answer him though, she just quietly retreated to the inside of her own tent.

When she lay down on the ground, her eyes stared blankly up at the corners of the burlap tent. She didn't think she'd get much sleep, and she was probably right. But... suddenly, she felt like the tent no longer acted as a sleeping sanctuary for her.... but a prison cell.

Alone again.

* * * 

Nevia sighed and emptied her cup of water with her thirst before setting it on the wagon floor. She then lay back against the firm, but soft, pillows. Her arms were sore from loading all the supplies onto Warriv's wagons. Even though she was happy that they were on the road again and heading east to Lut Gholein, the sound of the wooden wheel, seeming to groan in protest with a foreboding sense, was making her sick to her stomach. Across the wagon from her was Erix's unequipped form. He was rifling through his own stash, seeming to reorganize all the potions, gems and items, but, Nevia knew better. "He just doesn't want to talk to me. I can't blame him though," she thought. 

Nevia recalled the events of last night and their little chat during Erix's night watch. She was trying to reply the moment. Her mind pictured him... so realistic, down to every single detail of his perfectly chiseled out face, his eyes looking up at her with restrained longing. 

Drinking more water, she sighed. The look in his eyes latched onto her heart; it was the way she wanted him to look at her for a long time... and there, she missed the opportunity to have him for herself!

Why didn't I say anything? she thought, angry with herself. I don't know what I feel.... but, it can't be nothing... She shook her head and lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes suddenly against the waves of confusion that crashed against her.

What would I have said to him if I could turn back time...? she thought, shaking her head with self-disgust.   
Nevia suddenly felt really hot. She tried to open her eyes, but found herself unable to move any part of her body... at least that's what she thought. And, from her mind, she found herself trapped in the moment she wished to returned to, but it seemed she did reply in the way Erix would've liked to have heard. He was holding her, his lips pressed against hers as though that tight sealing of their lips was a promise. 

Looking in Erix eyes, she felt a fire burn in her chest, "Erix... I..." Before she could speak anymore, she felt his hand roam down and gently squeeze her left buttock. Her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise before the paladin claimed her mouth again, slipping his tongue past her sweet lips. 

Another hand was placed on the other buttock, gently kneading the soft, but firm, flesh. Nevia's head seemed to be swimming in a river and stuck at a fork. One way leading to passion she never experienced, the other leading to her normal way of life - sorcery studies, the perfection of the elemental magicks, the way of the Zann Esu. 

Her decision in that dream was clearly made, not only to her, but also to the Erix lying awake in the real world.... 

* * * 

Erix looked over his shoulder at the sorceress asleep on the pillows, watching her chest rise and fall with each quick breath and the expression on her face. She looked so innocent in her sleep and it was that very look that made him realize days ago that he did have feelings for her. That expression, so simple, so pure, made him feel as though he had to protect her. That his life as a holy warrior is useless, fighting for the sake of justice is such an abstract cause while fighting for a real reason, one defined with solid evidence, the evidence of a living breathing person, seemed much more appealing to him. He found his eyes traveling to her breasts, the bottom slightly visible due to the cut of the shirt. His mind instantly remembered on one instance, about a week ago. She ran at an enemy, her arms raised to cast a blizzard, completely unaware that her dark brown nipples bounced down into clear view with every step. 

Something seemed strange though by her breathing... she seemed to be breathing harder and shifting slightly in her sleep as though trying to arch her back like a woman would during-- Erix shook his head, not wanting to get aroused over a sleeping woman and his fantasies. He looked up at the inside of the canvas cover for the wagon and sighed, leaning back against the hay, his hand brushing against Nevia's.

She murmured inaudible words and Erix pulled his hand away from hers. She suddenly rolled onto her side, closer to the paladin with her hand resting on his chest. 

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, feeling Nevia's hand trail down from his chest to his stomach then scandalously lower.

His breath froze in his throat as he suddenly heard her softly moan in her sleep. His head quickly turned in her direction as her face showed expressions of a pleasurable look mixed with despair. 

Hesitantly and nervously, he tapped her shoulder, "Uh, Nevia?" She responded with several moans, this time, uttering a name to follow, "Ahh..... Erix..." 

His eyes shot wide open, "???" His heart nearly jumped out of his chest to do backflips until he realized the sad reality of it, "No, I can't do anything to her... she's asleep. She might wake up... what am I even thinking?" 

The paladin's interest was suddenly piqued when he heard Warriv's voice from the far front of the wagon, hidden behind all the boxes and out of their sight, "That wasn't really water she drank, you know?" 

"What?" 

A smile could be heard from the man's voice, "Yep, I knew a man in Lut Gholein... he was very good with potions, Old Lysander. I used to have trouble sleeping before... all those monsters terrified and traumatized me. 

So he made me these potions that could put me to sleep instantly for a few hours," he chuckled, "However, a woman in that city too, Atma, once gave me the recipe for an aphrodisiac for women... as you already know, Nevia's having quite a pleasant dream." 

Erix fell silent, shocked at the man's actions and story. "Impossible...." he replied. 

"See for yourself if you don't believe me..." Warriv replied. The wagon suddenly stopped. "Hm, I see a gathering of wagons up ahead, I'll leave you two here with the wagon for awhile, I'm gonna go talk to them. Don't make too much noise." With that, Erix could hear the man's footsteps gradually fade away into the distance. 

Erix was debating in his mind what to do. "Geez... I can't do this..." Apparently, the north seemed to be winning against the south. 

"Mmmmm.." Nevia purred seductively in Erix's ear. Her hand testing his steel reign on his desires with a tempting squeeze. "Take me..." 

Erix shook his head, his thoughts colliding all at once. On one string, he was ecstatic, and why shouldn't he be? Here lay the woman he loved, writihing in her slumber from erotic dreams of him. But, on the other side of the gold coin, he was doing things to her only in her mind!

His thoughts briefly voiced an oath as he raked his hand through his hair roughly. Would it be so bad just... to touch her once?

He gritted his teeth, looking over at her as she sighed, her hand runnin up his stomach, over his chest and over the soft flesh of his throat. He groaned, closing his eyes briefly. This woman would be the undoing of him and his oath as a paladin.

"Erix..." She shifted closer to him... the scent of her hair so intoxicating.

His control snapped right then as he pulled her lithe body close to her, pressing her against the hard length of his form so that no part of them remained untouched by the other. His mouth came down upon hers possessively, savouring the soft and enticingly smooth feel of her lips crushed against his. A muffled moan drifted from her gently parted lips, giving the paladin the moment he needed to deepen their kiss. His hands were buried in her thick and luxuriously soft hair as he tilted her head to match his.

His tongue greedily plundered her soft mouth. His body screamed for more as he felt Nevia's graceful hands roam over the muscular planes of his back, kneading and raking them in a lovingly rough and passionate way.

One hand withdrew from the nest of her silky hair and trailed to the front of her green blouse. As a moan escaped her mouth from the corner, a few words followed, muffled by Erix's mouth.

His attention snapped to. He recognized those words.

Erix's eyes widened and he suddenly withdrew his hands from her and backed away. "What am I doing?" He shook his head in disbelief at what he was thinking of doing to her and easily could have done. 

Guiltily, he took five deep breaths and murmured apologies to her unconscious form despite the pain of doing nothing over his erection. He distanced himself well from the young woman by placing his plated armour between them in hopes he would not cross the line again. 

What made things worse was that Nevia was still lost in her dream, moaning and murmuring sweet words over and over. Every time her passion-filled voice cried out his name, Erix could do nothing against the horrible pang of guilt twisting deeply in his stomach and turning more violent with each time.

"Forgive me..." he sighed softly, squeezing his eyes shut as his hands curled into tight balls.

She cried out his name again.

Erix wanted to throw the armour aside and kiss her... but not in the desire-fueled way he had before; he wanted to give her a chaste kiss of a promise, of an apology... of something that gave him a feeling of assurance that he is capable of being gentle and would not take advantage of her again.

And he did.

"Nevia..." He leaned down and firmly pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were still warm and swollen from his previous attentions. He sighed, shaking his head and scolding himself further for not keeping a tighter reign on his desires.

It was then that the sorceress uttered again the words that had reawaken Erix's morals and gentlemanly behaviour. "I love you." 

************

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	2. Chapter 2

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 2)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

The paced out creaking of the wagon echoed and rattled in the young sorceresses mind as she pressed her palms flatly against her temples, "Argh..." She shook her head weakly as she lay back on a comfortable pile of pillows. Her head hurt worse than the memory of her first hangover. It was MUCH worse. Her eyes kept going in and out of focus as though they were pulsing, her mouth felt incredibly dry and her entire body ached. "What the hell...?" She couldn't understand what caused these symptoms, more importantly, when they started. She was asleep the whole time... Nevia's face flushed red as the dream slowly inched its way back to her memory. However, the realization that the throbbing ache in her lower body made her blush.

"Oh geeez..." she thought, looking nervously over at Erix who was quietly reading a book, completely oblivious (at least that's what she thinks) to her dilemma. That made her feel even more embarrassed having overlooked the fact that it was he who made the cameo appearance as her fiery lover in the erotic dream. She quickly turned her head away as she blushed furiously.

Minutes past as the wheel continued its groaning like a starved animal. Nevia was still occupied with recollecting pieces of her dream until everything fit and she was able to go through it frame-by-frame. She lay back on the pillows again, closing her eyes with a deep sigh. She felt a desperate longing between her legs, an ache that can only be remedied properly by one man. Although the idea of seducing the nearby paladin into curing and somewhat living up to her dream, she knew she couldn't. "I rejected him yesterday..." she recalled bitterly. "I think he'd be really uncomfortable if I threw myself in his arms and cried, "Take me, I'm yours!" ."

The wagon remained still, but Nevia was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice their traveling stopped until she heard Warriv's jolly voice, "I think this would be a good spot to camp."

Nevia's eyes opened and she sat up staring him as the paladin quietly and swiftly jumped out of the wagon. "Already?"

He nodded and left her field of vision, leaving her blinking and wondering how the day went by so quickly. "Oh right...." She was sleeping.....The dream occupied most of her daytime.

The first thing she noticed upon setting foot out of the wagon was the scenery. They were camped on the edge of the desert, close to where a thick forest ended. She stretched her arms out and yawned, lifting herself onto her tiptoes for a good wake up call for her body before smiling. "So beautiful..." she said under her breath, glancing around. "Warriv?"

He turned in her direction, throwing down the rolled up canvas cloth for a tent, "Yes?"

"Where's Erix?"

"Practicing in the woods probably," he replied briskly, untying the twine-bound canvas roll. She turned away from the man, surveying the landscape and staring directly on the forest. "A river should be nearby," she thought. A smile crept up on her face at the thought of a bath as she reached into the wagon and re-equipped herself before heading out. "I'll be back in awhile." 

***

Erix ran through the thick forest madly, trees seeming to dart behind him and create a random repetition of whooshes' as they did. A few oaths were muttered under his breath as his mantra hummed to life. He was fully aware that one of his weaknesses was speed and endurance. His feet were sore and his chest felt tighter with each breath, but... "Must keep running!"

***

Twirling playfully, Nevia let out a childish laugh as she tossed the last article of clothing that separated her from partial nudity and full nudity, her panties. "Ahhh...." She sighed, leaning over the edge of the river and dropping her wand. She felt that keeping it nearby would be a good choice in case some monsters were to show up. She knew she'd probably be caught off guard since she wanted to take a bath... but, with the wand at least it's not TOO off guard.

She dipped her barefoot into the smoothly flowing river and her face fell slightly. She knew the water would be cold but she was hoping that it wouldn't be too cold. As tempted as she was to cast an inferno at the river, she knew that would prove futile since the water was constantly moving. "Besides, a cold bath is probably what I need right after a dream like that..." she pressed her hand to her face gingerly and felt her skin grow hot again.

She breathed in deeply and jumped in. The freezing cold of the chilling water seemed to mercilessly pierce her skin like the quills of a spike fiend. Completely submerged, her hair waved in a flowing manner like a kite in peaceful winds. Her legs kicked madly as her head emerged from the cold water, eyes and mouth wide open with water spilling from her mouth as she emitted a shriek.

"Eyaghhhhh!!!!" Her hands gripped the biceps of the opposite arm as her teeth chattered. "D-d-damn..." Every inch of her skin was covered in goosebump, every hair on her was standing on end and her nipples also felt painfully tight and hard by the shock of the cold water. She shook her head, trying to concentrate on warmer thoughts other than the freezing water. 

That failed miserably. "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" She cried in defeat as she raised her hands casting inferno at the water of the river flowing towards her. A thick wave of flames burst from her hands, warming the water in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, keeping the flames alive for as long as she possibly could.

The water seemed slightly warmer and her body was quickly adjusting to the temperature. "Good," she thought, smiling proudly. "No more screaming."

Minutes later, she was leaning casually back on the river edge as she sighed, her mind returning to her dream. "Strange," she whispered softly to herself, "I never really knew I could think of him like that..." She pictured Erix's face again and blushed before lowering her arm and rubbing the skin of her shoulder until she felt the grains of dirt roll into tiny lines.

***

"What was that?"

Erix spun around, his ears desperately searching for the direction the peal of laughter came from. "That sounded like Nevia...." Minutes later during his trek, nother sound was heard, less high pitched and, without another thought, the paladin sprinted through the thick forest, the visions of Nevia being killed by monsters acted as fuel for his stamina, keeping it at an all time high.

"... Nevia..." Her name echoed in his mind but not more than the anguished scream he had heard only a few seconds ago.

***

A loud and dry snapping sound behind her startled her. She quickly pulled the wand out of herself, wincing because she didn't pull it directly out, but at an angle. She whirled around and held up her wand at the sound source, a gargantuan that was angrily roaring at her. "Oh god...!!" Nevia cried out and flipping her want around, realizing that she was pointing the orb at herself. She looked down at the beast's feet. A meter behind it was her clothes and armor. "Oh shit..." she cursed at herself, backing up to the other side of the river and getting ready to throw an ice orb once the gargantuan leapt in to the river to attack the naked sorceress.

A loud growl was repeated from the side of the river that Nevia currently had her back pressed up against. She nervously whirled around to find yet another beast roaring angrily, this time, it was a werebear standing on its hind legs, ready for battle. "Oh shit!!!" she cursed, holding her wand out at the bear and throwing a weak fire bolt. The bear didn't move, it grunted in pain before it made its first strike..... it jumped into the river, directly on top of the gargantuan already there, tackling it.

Nevia's eyes darted away from the beasts' scuffle to her clothes and armor lying safely on the ground where she left it. Swimming as quickly and in a way to not attract attention, she tried going around the dueling animals. The gargantuan's arm swung out at both the bear and the sorceress. Nevia was fully submerged into the river, coughing as her head re-emerged from the water. The bear clawed angrily at the gargantuan as it grunted in pain. Surprisingly enough, the bear then managed to throw the raging beast onto the riverbank, then climb up on the bank to continue the battle. The bear swung its left and right mercilessly at the beast before rearing back and slamming its own muscular form into it. As Nevia rubbed her eyes, giving one last cough, she heard a big splash right in front of her as the gargantuan's limp body fell in and sank into the dark river water.

The sorceress looked up at the bear, somewhat curious as it remained on its hind legs, staring at her. She frowned, raising her wand and sending lightning bolt, which the bear surprisingly ducked and avoided. "What're you doing, Nevia??!" the bear yelled.

Nevia froze, "A talking bear...." She thought as she stared at the creature before the reality hit her. "No way..." she said in disbelief, slowly shaking her head and pointing at the bear. "You can't be..!!"

If the bear could smile, it would. Instead, a light bright shining light surrounded the muscular and fur-covered body. Through the slits of squinting eyes, Nevia could see the form decrease in size and density to a shape more human. The light faded and Nevia lowered her arms which acted like a light shield, her face holding an expression of shock and delight, "Oh my.... Rune!" she cried at the sight of the familiar green eyes, strong jaw and the reddish-orange hair, tied back in a small ponytail. A smile split her face as the tall and burly fur and leather clad man grinned, "It's so good to see you again!"

"Uh, it's good to see you too, Nevia..." He coughed and looked away, not meaning to embarrass her anymore with the unintentional pun. Nevia flushed red, a full body blush, and dropped down in the water, crossing her arms over her exposed breasts, only letting her head remain above water level. She laughed nervously and scolded him, "You pervert! You could've said something!"

The young (but older than her) druid ran his fingers through his hair, putting on a fake suave tone in his voice, "Yeah, I could've, but what man would interrupt a beautiful naked woman during a bath. It's rude." She made a face and retorted, "And you think oggling at a nude woman isn't rude?"

"I wasn't oggling," Rune said seriously, turning back to her, a sincere look on his face. "I was trying to save your life." Nevia felt touched. She smiled briefly before her scowl returned, "Well, you're oggling now."

Rune faked a hurt tone of voice and turned away from her, "Damn."

Nevia laughed, "You haven't changed..."

He turned his head to the side and grinned perversely, "Well, you've changed into a woman now, and damn am I glad."

"You perv," Nevia sighed, shaking her head and quickly throwing her wand at him. It reflected off the side of his head and fell to the ground. "Ow." He bent down to pick up her weapon and grinned, thinking about what he saw from his hiding place behind a cluster of wild bushes before the gargantuan showed up. "You might need this..." he said, concern deep in his eyes.

Nevia frowned. It was always a horrible habit of hers to keep her weapon at least six feet away from her. She did it in the bath way too often and could recall numerous times Rune himself had saved her from a situation simlar to this one. Bubbles formed in the water not too far from her..... she paled.

Standing up, she screamed as the wet form of the gargantuan rose out of the water with its arms raised in fury as it roared, thrashing wildly. One of his arms smashed into her side, knocking her into the water. "Shit!!" The druid cursed, stretching his hand out and shooting out a molten boulder.

The rolling mass of fiery magma smashed into the monster's skull, resulting in a loud and ugly sounding crack before the boulder and the dead monster sank into the water. The druid jumped into the river and pulled the sorceress up into his arms, noting to himself that the water felt warmer from the heat of the heated boulder. "Are you alright?" he asked as she spat out more water.

She nodded weakly, completely forgetting her nudity, "Yeah, I'll be fine... Thanks a-"

"--What the hell have you done to her??!" an angry masculine voice suddenly shouted from where the druid stood before.

Nevia turned her head and her eyes widened, "Erix!"

Furious at the sight of another man holding the woman he loved, naked, the paladin pulled out his blade and quickly chanted the words for the might aura under his breath. "You will pay for what you've done!!"

The sorceress panicked, shaking her head as the druid set her down. Rune was plain confused, "What's with this guy?" he asked the sorceress. "Reminds me of some whacked out hero-wannabe..."

"Erix! It's ok!" she quickly explained her story, purposely leaving out the details of her little pleasure trip in the river. "So, it's ok, Rune saved me." Erix's jaw tightened as his eyes fell upon the druid who climbed out of the river, passing him and saying, "I think we should leave Nevia to change here, hero..." The way Rune said hero was no compliment at all. It was hinted with a frost which the paladin was sure he'd be the victim of.

Erix quickly stole a glance at Nevia before following the druid.

***

The sound of crunching twigs and dry leaves came with every step from the two men as they walked through the thick forest. Erix's gaze never left the druid's back. "So.... you're Nevia's partner," Rune suddenly said, coming to a stop and turning around to face the holy warrior. The paladin stared at the druid as he replied thinly, "I am, what's it to you?"

"Are you her lover as well?" he asked flatly.

"That's none of your business," came the quick reply.

"Then that can only mean you WANT to be..." With a smirk, Rune's eyes looked up and down at Erix as though sizing him up, "I don't know what she could ever see in you." Erix's eyes widened at other man as he turned his back and continued walking, "Who the hell are you?"

The druid stopped, turning around again and his eyes shone as though they were smirking instead of his lips, "To her, an old love. To you....competition perhaps." He turned his back again and walked ahead confidently leaving Erix to angrily glare at his back.

"What the hell??" he thought, gripping the hilt of his sword angrily.

***

Nervously, a sigh escaped Rune. As the hard ivory of his teeth sank into the warm tender meat, the muscles controlling his mouth spasmed slightly and forced an awkward smile. "This is excellent!" Rune exclaimed, trying to convince himself as he closed his eyes, not out of joy, but to stop the tears if any decided to surface past the dome of his visible eyes. He never really did like Nevia's cooking. The wild chicken he had caught had obviously gone to waste with her style of cooking, the Zann Esu way of cooking. That meant zapping the chicken with lightning bolts until the sorceress felt it was okay to stop. On top of that, to add to Rune's misery, Zann Esu's rarely ever used spices... they relied on lemon grass and Nevia was really fond of it.

Sitting around the campfire and basking in it's warmth and soft light, Nevia sat down, cross-legged on Rune's right side, watching closely as he ate the meal she carefully prepared. The chef could only clap her hands together in happiness, "Really? You like it?" He swallowed hard and nodded rapidly, quickly reaching for his cup of wine that Warriv had traded for with another wagon. His hand fumbled with the cup in the light of the fire. Warriv had gone to sleep in his tent, no doubt clutching a spear like he always does and Erix..... he was nowhere to be found. After the small verbal scuffle with the druid, he left the camp and has not been seen since.

Biting into her own portion of the dinner, Nevia glanced back with a worried look at the dark woods behind her in the direction of the river, "I wonder where he went to..?" She felt sick to her stomach at the thought that he might not come back. She remembered that look in his eyes when he saw her in the river with Rune. It was mixed agony and anger. She didn't even get a chance yet to explain everything from the top to him. "There are a lot of things I never told him... I owe it to him to at least be honest with him..." She shook her head trying to imagine just what was going through that paladin's mind. It was bad enough that she didn't respond when he confessed his feelings to her. Rune's appearance only made things more complicated.

"Why're you here?" Nevia asked all of a sudden and tossing the chicken bone, stripped of its meat, to the ground.

Rune looked up from his fire-gazing, "Huh? Oh, uh..." he hesitated. "I'm on my way to Lut Gholein."

"Oh..." her face fell slightly without her even realizing it. She quietly and daintily took a sip of her wine. The druid arched an eyebrow, leaning closer to her, "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" She smiled, "Nothing, just thinking."

"About what?" he inquired. "Or should I be asking 'who'?" Another smile came from her and she shook her head, "Are you a mind reader?"

He grinned, "I try. But if I were, I'd give you half-off the normal price."

Quickly setting her wine cup down, Nevia scowled and punched his strong left arm, "Hey! Don't be like that!" She pulled her hand away and shook it in the air, her knuckles sore from the contact against the firmness of his muscles. "Wimp," he said with a broad smile that made Nevia unsure of whether to slap him or hug him. She missed him. As she laughed, a sudden movement in the shadows caught Rune's eye. He paused to decide whether he should tackle the figure or not. He knew who it was and that made his smile widen even more as he thought of what possibilities could arise.

The sorceress shook her head and simply said, "I missed you, you know."

Rune's face melted into a serious gaze, "I know.... but you were the one who ran away, remember?"

Nevia lowered her head, her dark raven hair falling over her face with a sigh, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he replied, sitting up on his knees and leaning close to her, a serious expression on his face as he leaned close to Nevia, his right hand pressed to the ground as support. Nevia's breath caught in her throat, her eyes focused on Rune's face, the fire casting dark shadows on one side of his face left a feeling of mystery in the air. Her lips trembled slightly, wanting to say something as she though, "Gods... I can't believe I forgot how good looking he is..." She was about to lean in to him when he suddenly smiled and said, "Can you pass the wine bottle?" In his left hand, he held up his empty cup.

The sorceress' cheeks burned in embarrassment. She quickly backed away from the druid and hastily passed him the uncorked and half-empty wine bottle. "Oh... r-right. The wine." Nevia laughed nervously. 

Rune quietly poured himself another helping of wine and quickly drank half of it down. The sorceress watched him closely, a sad look in her eyes and not noticeable anywhere else. The druid could've laughed at throwing the woman off, but had he laughed, he would've spat the wine out to the fire or at Nevia. He set his drink down and watched Nevia pour herself a cup of water from her gourd. Rune suddenly lifted the drink up for a toast towards her and smiled, "To reunions."

She paused and went along with it, "To reunions." Their cups dully clinked together as they consumed their beverages. Promptly, Nevia wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She dropped her cup, her face flushing a warm red. She blinked slowly, confused. She was not the only one confused, Rune watched her, a concerned look washing over him. "What's wrong?"

She yawned, stretching her arms up and out. "Ugh, I'm gonna sleep now..." she muttered, slowly getting up and walking in a zombie-like state towards her tent. Rune quietly watched, confused at her sudden exhastion. "Odd," he thought as her body disappeared into the canvas flaps. "She didn't seem at all tired..." He curiously picked up the gourd she left behind, opened it and sniffed it several times. Something wasn't right. The water had two very faint fragrances to it and it was very familiar to him. "I know this...." His mind raced, trying to figure out what it was. He knew it couldn't be poison. "Why did her face flush?" he thought. "It almost seemed like she was...." His thoughts stopped dead in its tracks as he quickly got up and walked to Nevia's tent, knowing what it was. "Sleeping root and the aphrodisiac called 'Goddess,'" he thought, entering her tent.

Nevia lay with her back on the floor and a thin tan blanket covering her body. She would look almost the image of peaceful perfection if she wasn't writhing on the floor like a lover lost in the heat of the moment. The druid marveled at the sight once he threw the tan blanket off the sleeping sorceress. She was beautiful like that, the picture of a beautiful desperation; a woman longing a bedazzling moment of passion to loser herself within. It was irresistible. He couldn't help but sink to his knees and hesitantly reach out to brush the stray dark wisps of her hair away from her face. His callused fingers brushed the soft inviting skin of her cheek and, unable to stop himself from the little indulgence he would take, he lowered his face close to hers, his lips seeking the soft plumpness of her own.

A sharp rustling sound from the tent entrance startled him. He turned his head to find him staring at the sharp and angry tip of a metal blade that desperately wished to be embedded in the druid's forehead.

At the end of the sword was the firm and confident hand of Erix, tightly gripping the hilt as though he was strangling a poisonous serpent. "You touch her and I'll kill you."


	3. Chapter 3

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 3)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

At the edge of the desert in the still quiet of the night, flames of the night fire busily devouring the wood while the smoke danced lazily towards the heavens and the sparkling stars. The once glorious city of Lut Gholein sitting meekly at the edge of the western horizon as though it were taunting the small campsite, still far from it. "I'm not too far away, but you are tired," the city seemed to cry out into the wind that swept up and around the vast ocean of sand.

The camp fire was still going strong, filling the air with the sound of angry crackles as it gnawed at the wood. Angry.... like the man inside one tent, threatening another with his sword.

"Touch her and I'll kill you," Erix growled, his face matching the anger of his voice.

Rune stared at the tip of the blade. It was clearly visible in the dim light of the fire being cloaked by the canvas tent that stretched over their heads. His eyes met with the dark eyes of the paladin which glared fiercely, clearly angered by the fact that the druid invaded his "beloved's" tent while she was asleep and vulnerable. The druid's green eyes quickly stole a glance at the sorceress. Nevia still lay flat on her back and fingering herself madly under the influence of the tainted water. That simple glance made the paladin furious, "What the HELL do you think you're doing in here?"

Grimacing, Rune returned the glare but kept a cool voice, "I'm just checking on her. The water she drank was mixed with a sleeping root and an aphrodisiac." Erix tensed slightly and tried not to let his composure lessen, ".... so... you drugged her?!" he hissed, trying to convince himself that Rune really was the culprit.

The druid's eyes' widened, "What?! No! I would never do that to Nevia! Someone else must've. Maybe the person who sold her the gourd lined the inside with it.... or used it before on some other poor woman..." his voice trailed, sounding both angry and sad.

Lowering the blade, Erix was unsure of what to do. His act of running into save Nevia from the evil and lecherous druid wasn't turning as he expected. He had forgotten all about the water that Warriv had drugged. It never even crossed his mind that there was some left and that Nevia would finish it. He glanced over at the young woman sleeping and writhing helplessly on the floor. "We should leave..." he muttered, opening the tent flap and not taking a second glance at Nevia.

Rune slowly got up, taking notice of the paladin's awkward behavior. As the druid passed by Erix, it suddenly hit him. "He did it...." he thought, his eyebrows narrowing into a V over his glaring eyes which threatened to burn into the holy warrior much like his molten boulders could do to the evils wandering about.

As tempting as it was to punch the paladin, take the girl and run away to Lut Gholein to find the nearest and available room, he decided to do no such thing. Inside, he really did want Nevia and, ever since she left, he had felt as though a piece of him were missing without much of an explanation. Taking a bold action as stealing her would only be a temporary solution. If Erix really cared about Nevia the way Rune assumed, then there was no doubt that he would chase her to hell and back. If Rune was to have Nevia... it would be permanent with no man standing as a threat to the security of the relationship he desired, especially Erix.

"I know I can't make Erix back off," he thought, annoyed. "No warrior is stupid enough to back away from their prize. So... that means......" He sighed, shaking his head.

With his dream in mind, Rune quietly returned to his tent and threw open his stash chest. He quickly and expertly rifled through the contents, pulling out a pale beige spiraling root. He smiled to himself, closed the chest and exited his tent.

"Now, all I need is fire..."

***

From his guardpost, which was the entrance to Nevia's tent, Erix lifted his head. "I cannot fall asleep," he repeated in his mind several times as his mantra. His eyes darted to the right of him when he saw shadows moving. The moving shadow was Rune, walking casually up to the campfire. In his arms were several different sizes of wood. He smiled at Erix before tossing the wood into the burning heap. He then rubbed his hands together and held them out to the flame, obviously warming them.

Erix's eyebrows furrowed slightly as the druid waved at him in such a casual manner he found it mocking. The druid then left. "What was that about...?" the paladin thought, shaking his head with a sigh. His thoughts returned to the sorceress and a horribly guilt washed over him. He blinked slowly, his eyelids feeling heavy. "Stay awake," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

He quietly turned to the fire, watching it closely, hoping the flickering light would affect his eyes and make him stay awake. The warm glow on his face seemed comforting to him as his eyelids half-dropped. The paladin was still staring at the fire, watching the gentle swaying of the flames that danced in the wind. It was as though the fire was dancing in a hypnotic trance. The smoke rising from the fire was just as hypnotic... He failed to realize the truth of the smoke.

***

From a good distance and out of sight in the shadows, the druid quietly watched as Erix slumped forward, fast asleep. He smiled to himself in congratulations. "Sleeping root..." he murmured softly, making his way across the campgrounds towards Nevia's tent. "Works just as good as an incense as it would as a drink."

Stepping over Erix and into Nevia's tent, her sleeping sanctuary, he immediately was overjoyed. The goddess aphrodisiac, which he knew to be extremely potent even if diluted with water, had not worn off yet. The soft sounds of her ardorous moans could be heard blended in with the crickets chirping away. The pungent fragrance of her womanliness lingered in the confines of the tent, attacking all of Rune's senses, beckoning him to touch her.

He slowly knelt down and his lips quickly seized the woman's open mouth when she moaned. His tongue quickly snaked its way into hers, the tip tracing over her tongue and running over the hardness of her teeth. One of his arms gently cradled her head, pulling her closer to him while the other supported her lower back. Both of Nevia's hands freed themselves of their erotic duty to reach up and grasp Rune's forearm, squeezing gently. Rune sighed, kissing her harder, thinking how much he missed her, her mouth, her body, her smile.... her all.

Rune broke the kiss briefly, a sudden pang of sorrow upon remembering his last time being with her. He quickly replaced that thought with the reality of the present and what possibilities lie ahead.... Better yet, what possibility is lying on the ground..... Nevia.

A strange and thick feeling rushed through him, leaving him weak. "What?" he thought, turning his head to the back of him. He realized his error. One of the flaps of the tent was open wide and, with the shifts in the wind, most likely the smoke from the burned sleeping root found its way into the tent. "No..." he thought, making a fist and digging his nails fiercely into his palm, refusing to give in to the powerful effects of the sleeping root. "This is my turn...!" He shook his head rapidly, his other hand squeezing the muscles of Nevia's leg roughly. He noticed Nevia winced and her eyelids flutter open briefly, look at him and release a moan in pain. "Rune..."

He quickly released her leg and Nevia's eyes closed. "Shit.... that was close," he though, shaking his head.

Once again, he dug his nails into his palm as he slowly and lazily removed the clothes from his upper body and hers as well, "I'm not going to let anything take this moment away from me!" he thought, absolutely determined.

***

Images floated in and out of her passion clouded mind as dreams played with what stimulations were bestowed upon her body. In veils of white and a cloud of a hazy brilliance in which light still shone through upon the Eden in her mind... she lay upon strewn flowers, her body crying out for a touch....

And in her dreams lay Rune... a wicked grin on his face, a rakish sparkle in his eye as his body lay flush upon hers... skin-to-skin... Ahhh..

A sweet sigh escaped her lips and she felt light as though dancing upon clouds. Heavenly... yet at the same time a carnal pleasure so sinfully wicked her body felt as though it would be engulfed in the Hellfire at that moment.....

Her eyelids flickered.... the Goddess still lingering in her body and still keeping her blood desiring more than what her dreams told her to be real.

Nevia blinked slowly, lifting her head up and rubbing her eyes with a yawn. She felt dizzy and she could only lift her head. Morning rays were obvious against the canvas of the tent as her eyes focused then quickly widened. There was the smiling Rune. What shocked her was not the cute smile he had in his sleep, but the reality that he was sleeping on her, both of them barely dressed, with his head resting on her breasts. She gasped sharply, "Oh no," she thought. "What have I done?"

She shook his shoulder, trying desperately to wake him up, "Rune? Rune?" He "mmm"d in response and finally went, "What?" She shook him rapidly, "Please, wake up." Slowly, the sleepy druid lifted his head off her soft twin orbs of flesh and looked up at her, blinking slowly, "What do you want?" He paused and looked around, remembering he was in her tent..... and the two of them naked. He frowned at her frantic expression, "What is it?"

Nevia shook her head, "Please, promise me something." He raised an eyebrow slightly, "Okay...." She bit her lip nervously, looking close to crying, "You can't tell Erix what happened."

Rune stared, "That's exactly what I was going to ask you," he thought in disbelief. "If Erix found out I used sleeping root on the fire and came in here to have sex with you, but instead fell asleep from the root, he would kill me. Even if I had managed to screw her, I still wouldn't tell him directly."

His pause made Nevia even nervous, "Please!" she begged. "You can't tell him I had sex with you!"

What?? Rune thought, even more surprised as he stared at her, wide-eyed. Sex? I didn't have sex with you.... He thought harder, his eyes lowering to the ground, trying to think up an explanation. She obviously was having a dream before I got here.... then she opened her eyes.... OH!!! He could've ran out of the tent screaming in joy at that moment. She was dreaming about sex with me! Shit.... I've heard that goddess' also affects women in their sleep... but damn, this is per— 

Nevia shook him again, interrupting his thoughts. "Rune, please, promise me.... You can't tell Erix I slept with you."

He arched an eyebrow, "Why not? It was the best night of my life, to know that you feel the same way about me as I do about you.You enjoyed it... didn't you?" He sounded hurt, trying to go along and guess her dream. The sorceress turned red, "Yeah," she admitted timidly, "I did... but, despite my feelings, I shouldn't have let it happen. I never should've slept with you, so please let's keep it a secret from Erix."

"Too late," a voice said from behind the tent. Rune and Nevia's head turned. At the entrance of the tent, holding the canvas flap up, was a quiet Erix. Rune's glance shifted back and forth from the paladin and the sorceress as the silence stayed.

"Erix.... I-I... I'm really so--"

He shook his head and swallowed hard, "I just... I came to wake you up and get your equipment," he muttered softly, turning his back to the two of them. "I have an old friend in Lut Gholein who could repair it all for free.... so...." he sighed in disappointment and quickly left.

Nevia bit down on her lip and buried her face in her hands to cry. Rune, playing the innocent actor, held her in his arms, stroking his hair and rocking her back and forth, trying to comfort her. However, the sly gleam in his eye said all.


	4. Chapter 4

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 4)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

***

The caravan creaked dryly as the wheels desperately turned over and over the dry and coarse sand. "Shhhf....shhhf..." The sounds of the wheels sinking slightly into the sand with each foot it went forward. The ride was bumpy and unstable, making the four passengers uneasy and fearing the gusting wind's threat to tip the caravan over.

"Damn storm!" Warriv was heard cursing, desperately trying to get the oxen to continue the journey. Lut Gholein, their destination, was only a barbarian's stone throw away... which in saying so meant it was close, but still FAR. The caravan driver couldn't believe his horrible luck. Not only did he plot a bad and unstable course but he also steered directly into a sandstorm.

Rune shook his head and rolled his eyes at the caravan driver's incompetence as another long string of curses was heard. "What a moron," he thought before glancing over at his beloved. Nevia's normally soft features of her face expressed despair. Her eyes, still red and puffy, were cast in the direction of Erix, who was quietly seated in the corner of the caravan far from them, busily sharpening his long sword with a grinding stone he had found.

With each grainy sound of the stone running over the blade, Rune found himself inching closer to the prospect of grabbing the stone and smacking the paladin with it. It was rhythmically annoying. The sounds around him were a concerto to annoy him with Warriv, Erix and the rickety caravan wagon acting as the main players.

He leaned back against the soft hay behind him and sighed to clear his mind. "What to do...?" he thought, closing his eyes and playing back the events of last night. Every detail came back to him, his anger at Erix, the sleeping root and his revenge, which turned out better than he could've ever dreamed of. "But it still isn't permanent." His eyebrows furrowed as he gritted his teeth. "They could easily reconcile or learn the truth.... So, I gotta do something before that happens...."

Nevia's sudden sound of dismay interrupted Rune's thoughts. He sat up and turned to her as she groaned, holding up her drinking gourd, "I'm out of water...." she sighed. Rune paused, a grin splitting his face as he handed Nevia his own gourd and quietly thanked her. "Hm, for what?" she asked, looking rather puzzled, "I'm the one who asked for water." With his flippant smile, he looked so pleased with himself. That smile... it was so strange to see on him... at least, only now. "Why is he smirking like that???"

"Oh, I know, but I'm thanking you.... for being here," he said simply with an equally simple smile. Nevia paused, her thick eyelashes fluttering for a few confused blinks before shaking her head, "You're so odd." She sighed, glancing over at Erix who refused to even acknowledge both of them being present. She realized another of her mistakes, "Oh.... now he probably thinks I was FLIRTING with him...!" she could've smacked herself hard for that. "Why am I always being so insensitive to him? ... I don't meant to. Really..."

Erix had said nothing since the minute he left Nevia's tent. "I can't blame him though, can I? I'd feel just the same if I saw him with another woman... right?" she thought with a frown, her eyes traveling to the wooden floor, tracing the cracks and oval grooves of the wood. "I... I need to apologize to him." A sickening feeling settled in the core of her stomach as an image of a dark skinned woman, naked and beautiful, smiling at Erix. The paladin groggily returned the grin as the woman lightly gripped in her hands his --- Nevia's mind quickly jolted awake from her vision. "Something's wrong with me. I'm feeling jealous over nothing..." 

Quietly uncapping the gourd, Nevia took several deep and refreshing gulps of the water. As she drank, she could feel Rune's eyes on her.... but something felt strange. She could recall everything from long ago when she was with Rune, but something was definitely different and she couldn't put her finger quite on what it was.

"Maybe he really has changed," she though, still drinking. "He used to be... so.... so.... controlling." Nevia's eyes drifted to the wavering walls of the cloth wrapped over the wagon. The wind was viciously lashing at the canvas, like an angry cat scratching at a dry wooden wall. In the corner of her eye, she studied the rugged-looking druid. "He still looks the same, the only real difference is that his hair is longer and that he had rid himself of his ridiculous beard." She stifled a laugh, remembering the first time she had seen him, so long ago.

*** (Flashback - Rotinn, Nevia's home village)

"Neeeeeevia!" a soft voice hissed within the forest, looking up at the trees. Light peered eagerly through the thick and majestic trees. Within a rather tiny clearing, a small delicate-looking girl angrily placed her hands on her hips and yelled up into the trees once again. "Nevia!!!!!" She ran several steps forward, placing a left hand on a rough tree trunk as she called out the name again. From just behind the calling girl, a very young girl appeared, running from the edge of the forest to her. "Viwx? Fouwnd her yet?" she asked in a smallish voice.

"No, Elia," she sighed. "Geez, what kind of sorceress climbs trees? She's such a tomboy...."

From up above, Nevia fell down, yelling, "ARGHHHHH!!!!" She nearly would've landed on Verynia had she not quickly jumped out of the way. The green-clad girl landed on the moss roughly. "Owwww..." She slowly got up, brushing off the traces of the dark green moss sprinkled on her attire. Elia immediately started crying.

The young woman, around 16, laughed and crouched down to eye level with the little girl, who was still sobbing. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Elia nodded feebly, still wiping her red and puffy eyes, "Nebia's a meany."

"You're crazy," Verynia muttered, shaking her head and lightly punching the girl's arm as Nevia gave Elia a hug. "What're you doing here anyway? If the teacher found out you're hiding from--" Nevia waved her hand carelessly at the young girl, "Oh, spare me, please. That old crone has trouble telling the difference between a thawing potion and a stamina potion. And I'm not hiding from her... I'm just..." she paused, not sure what to use as an excuse as Verynia's eyebrow arched, "Well... NOT hiding from her. I dunno, make up something for me, will ya?"

Verynia shook her head, took Elia's hand and sighed, "Whatever, I'll just tell her you're looking for some lemongrass or something." With that, she took Elia with her, leaving the young woman alone in the forest.

Nevia smiled, watching them walk away, "And now—" A sudden rumbling sound started her. Puzzled, she looked around, staying silent. In the distance, somewhere in the forest, she could hear an angry hissing and crackling sound. She wasn't sure what it was, but either way, she ran in the sound's direction, drawn by curiosity.

Bright red light glowed on Nevia's tanned skin as she stared in amazement from behind a large tree. A few meters away from her a powerful twister was angrily grinding against the trees violently. The strong and thick branches of the surrounding trees swayed in the wind like thin decaying vines on the brink of death. SNAP! A rondo of splintering snaps of the over-powered trees was heard everywhere at once. The once proud and strong tree limbs fell to the ground. Nevia stared and watched as a mass of brown fur and muscles sauntered into view a top the pile of destroyed forestry.

The young sorceress' eyes widened as her eyes descended upon the bloodshed of evil-influenced creatures behind the bear. Gargantuans and Fallen Ones lay slain in their own pools of blood, half-absorbed by the moss of the lush green forest. Nevia was dumbfounded briefly before she concentrated on her magicks for battle, despite her under equipped state.

"Frozen armor," she whispered under her breath, a blue twinkling light spiraling up from the ground and twisting around her body, giving off a light glow in the forest. Digging her boots into the soft ground for proper footing, Nevia's hands were placed in front of her chest, seeming to grasp an invisible ball in front of her. "Fire bolt." A quick swirling red light exploded from her hands towards the bear. The small red comet was easily dodged. The massive bear growled low before charging the young sorceress.

Her eyes shutting tight in fear, Nevia held her arms up defensively and screamed as a deafening CRACK' followed. She felt pressure against the front of her body and then on her back, forcing the breath out of her. She landed hard to the ground, the bear on top of her, pinning her down.

Nevia's eyes opened and the pure terror shone from her dark irises instantly changed to bewilderment. A bear was no longer on top of her, but a young man, clad in furs and leather. She stared quietly, her mouth slightly open with no words coming out. "He has such nice eyes," she thought, staring at the gently gleaming green irises that were focused on her. "Yeah... nice eyes.... FOR SOMEONE WHO'S ATTACKING YOU!!!!"

The sorceress took a deep breath and immediately screamed. The orange-haired man panicked and reflexively placed his hand over the young woman's mouth, "Don't scream!! It's ok, it's ok!!!!" He tried to calm her and pointed at the large branch lying where she stood before. Nevia's eyes darted to the broken branch and then the point of breaking on the upright tree trunk nearby. Her voice stopped and the man's hand was removed from her face.

The orange-maned man smiled, "Sorry to scare you like that." Nevia didn't answer, she stared in awe, watching him and examining every single detail she could come across - things like, the small orange hairs sprouting on his chin, the small scar above his right eyebrow and the strong angles of his jaw. "So... what's your name?"

She ignore the question ".... You can change into a bear?" He nodded proudly and she made a face. "What kind of weirdo are you?"

***

Nevia frowned, remembering that she first found Rune scary and that it was his fault that he—

"Nevia?"

She lifted her head from the ground and looked up at Erix, surprised that he was even talking to her, "Um, yes?" The paladin gave a small smile. "We're here. Welcome to Lut Gholein." His hand swept out, displaying the majestic, yet crumbling, buildings. Nevia stared. "Huh.... I was expecting something nicer." She shook her head and slowly got out of the caravan, finally taking note that she was alone.

She paused, looked around from where they stood, a far corner of the desert city, surrounded by unpacked crates, sand and the tired oxen. "Um, where's Rune?" Nevia could've slapped herself. "I'm doing it again!!!" she thought, hating herself for her insensitivity. She quickly added "and Warriv?" to her question. 

Erix's face fell slightly, "He said he wanted to explore the city by himself. Warriv is checking up on some old friends, like some guy name El... uh..." The paladin hesitated, forgetting the name. "I don't know. But, I got a room at an inn..... for all three of us, or, if you want, I could just get my own room or sleep in the caravan...." The sorceress bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable with the silence between them.

The man's face displayed signs of struggle. He was trying to summon up his courage. "Listen... Nevia, I think we really should talk." She quickly nodded, "Good, I really want to. I'm so sorry about--"

He shook his head to stop her, "No, not here, somewhere private. Can you go to the inn and wait for me? Oh wait... give me your equipment first."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously, thinking that he'd generously upgrade her equipment again.

"Fara's the blacksmith of this city, remember? I can ask her to repair them for us and get a small discount."

***

From behind a stone wall nearby the inn that Elzix owned, Rune watched as his prize, his Nevia, went into the building. When she was no longer in sight, he leaned his back against the wall and muttered angrily to himself, "Shit.... he's going to try and reconcile with her now. And he'll probably hunt me down." He cursed his luck briefly before gathering all his composure back into his being. "Damn paladin.... she's mine." In his mind, he repeated everything he had always said to reassure himself that what he was doing was ok. After all, it was Rune that first found Nevia and realized what a beautiful woman she was, inside and out. He spent so many years with her, not because he felt obligated to for the punishment that her village bestowed upon her for bringing Rune to her home, but he stayed with her because he truly cared for her. He spent all that time with her also because he wanted to get to know her, he wanted her to love him and he WANTED her.

"Damn Erix.... you have no right to interfere," he thought, heading towards what he thought to be the market square.' "She's mine and I'm hers. That's how it was and that's how it's going to stay."

His eyes narrowed fiercely and darted past a dark-skinned female, most likely the blacksmith, to Deckard Cain and then old man selling potions to a leather-clad assassin. The female assassin suddenly stopped talking to the peddler and turned her head towards the druid. She stared at him quizzically for a brief second then turned away, watching his movements from the corner of her eye.

"Dammit," Rune lightly spat. "Where's Warriv?"

"Right here," his deep and jolly voice replied. 

Rune whirled around and grinned cruelly at the jovial caravan driver, "Oh good. I was looking for you. Listen.... we need to..." he paused, his smile broadening, "talk." He pulled him out of sight behind the stone wall, which created the market square,' and lowered his voice. "Do you know what goddess' is?"

Warriv paled, "Uh, no." The caravan driver knew he was in deep shit. His mind was panicking, wondering how far he could run before Rune blasted him. The thought of a volcano-summoning druid scared the poor man so much that his hands started shaking.

"Liar. You know that Erix used it on Nevia," Rune shot back, a twisted smile spreading across his face and arching up more into a smirk. "E-erix?" Warriv repeated, the stutter and surprise in his voice gave him away. The druid caught on immediately. "Erix didn't do it?" His eyebrows creased. "....Then that means you did...." A glare was thrown in the caravan driver's direction.

Swallowing hard, Warriv knew he should kiss his poor life goodbye. "Y-yeah..." he confessed, cowering back slightly in hopes that the druid would show mercy for his sin. Instead, the druid just made a face and pressed two fingers against his own forehead, "Dammit," he muttered. "I thought Erix was for sure the one who did so he could rape her." Rune's mind raced again, thinking harder until another thought crossed his mind, "Where did he rape her?"

Warriv lowered his head, "In the caravan.... a few hours before you showed up."

Rune stared in shock. "In the caravan?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes. "You were listening in?!!"

"N-no!" he cried. "I'm not like that. I left them in the back and left for awhile--"

"--So, you didn't actually witness or hear him raping her then?" Rune suddenly asked.

"No... I assume that Erix would," he said slowly, his eyes darting around for an escape route. "Any man would considering the circumstances. It's not every day a beautiful woman is unconscious and pretty much in heat."

"Hmmm... either way, it still works out...." he thought, with a frown. "Ok, I can't use that card yet... Erix might not have raped her, but it still makes him look bad. However...." his brow creased " he could turn it around and point out that I got her the same way.... shit... this is not good...." His thoughts faded as he suddenly heard a voice from the other side of the wall that he could never mistake for anyone else. Erix. 

Even though he was scared, Warriv fell silent, his interest piqued, also listening in.

"Do you think you could fix this?" Erix asked. A few metal clangs were heard before the female replied, "Sure," she replied cheerfully. "It's good to see you, Erix." 

"You too, Fara."

Rune was baffled. "He knows the blacksmith?" he thought aloud. Warriv quickly nodded, "You don't know? They used to fight side-by-side until Fara decided to stay in Lut Gholein and work as a blacksmith." The caravan driver then rolled his eyes at the druid's reaction. "They were partners???" he repeated, trying to silence the caravan driver to continue listening in on the conversation.

"So..." Fara trailed casually. "Can you meet me at Atma's place later?"

"Huh... the bar? Why?"

"Just to catch up on old times, that's all," she replied warmly. "Please? I'll even pay for the drinks and everything will be done by then."

"Uh, yeah... sure.... when?"

"An hour and a half is enough," she said confidently. Rune then smiled, "Yeah, that should be enough," he muttered, turning to Warriv. "You better listen up and do what I say if you don't want to be banished from this city and other cities. One word to the townspeople, or worse, Jeryn, and you'd be on the road for a long time."

***

"I'm sorry," Nevia sobbed. Her arms were around Erix and her face was buried into his shoulder. The cloth of his shirt absorbed her tears as Erix's fingers ran through Nevia's soft raven hair. "I.... I should've told you sooner."

In the center of the room stood Nevia and Erix in an embrace. They had been that way for an hour and had started it within the five minutes they walked in.

Erix nodded. "Look, you shouldn't cry over the past, right?" He was trying so hard to stay calm and not start punching holes through walls. He was angry with himself and Warriv. That goddess potion was the root of the problem. If Warriv hadn't drugged her water and if Erix had the decency to throw out the water once he was informed of it, she never would've been with Rune. It was Erix's fault for Nevia to have made love with a person as repulsive as Rune.

Officially, Erix HATED Rune. He wanted the druid to die. He hated him with such a passion that he felt as though he could spend his entire life hunting him down. But, then what? If all of his energy was used into hating Rune and the need to destroy him... what about Nevia? What about his life? He didn't want to be consumed by all the hatred for one single human... What about his hatred of Diablo and other evils of the world....? Those evils threatened his world, his life... his Nevia, his love. As long as Nevia continued her quest to fight Diablo, he would follow her. He didn't know why he was so compelled to Maybe it was because the blood of a paladin boils angrily at the thought of an evil existing in such a world. Or maybe it was fate calling to him.

"I just want to know a few things," he slowly started, picking up the sorceress and carrying her across the room. He lowered her upon a wooden chair. "Do you love Rune?"

Nevia's face was red, her eyes were puffy and that question only made her want to cry even more. "I don't know." She shook her head, suddenly letting loose a small and inappropriate laugh, "I really don't know the answer.... And it's strange, I never knew I harbored those kind of feelings for him until last night..." she choked on a sob. "I must've kept them hidden for so long..."

Erix nodded solemnly, cursing rapidly in his mind. Damn you, Rune!!! he thought darkly. You really did get her while she was drugged... I won't let you get away with this!! He slowly paced around the room, angry with himself for not checking on her water but more of his venomous thoughts were directed at the druid's actions and selfishness.

He turned to Nevia again and, in the calmest voice he could muster, he asked, "Can you tell me that he's the one for you then?"

The sorceress stared at him, a sincere but sorrowful look in her eyes, "I honestly don't know. I just feel so confused right now."

He nodded, trying to figure a way to clear the woman's mind and understand it himself. "Okay.... How about this then?" He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, sitting directly in front of her. "How do you feel about me?" She gave him the same look and the same words but with more tears. Erix sighed, "You're never sure of what you feel, are you?"

She nodded, "I'm sorry... but I... I can't imagine anyone being sure of anything in life."

The paladin stood up, shocked by her words. He shook his head slowly at her. "How can you say that?" She apologized again and was quickly interrupted, "No... this is not about what you feel, but the idea of no one being sure of anything in life. Because if that's what you believe, Nevia, you are wrong and I'm proof."

Her lower lip trembled, she knew what was coming. She knew what he was going to say and she felt both scared and happy at once.

"For a long time, I have been sure that you are the one I want. You're the only one for me," he murmured softly, his jaw tensing slightly at having to admit to such a risky truth. "I'll admit that your friend," he said, the word friend' with such an icy tone, "does bring out a lot of the competitiveness in me, but any man would have the same effect on me. Especially if they have the ability to take the woman I love away from me." He paused, nervous to ask his next question. "O-okay... now tell me, do you want him to take you away from me... or...." he swallowed nervously, "were you never really mine to begin with?"

Tears were streaming down Nevia's face, she leapt out of her chair and into his arms again, knocking him over back onto the bed. "Don't say such strange things," she said, hugging him tightly, the side of her face pressed against his chest.

Erix's arm snaked around her waist as his other hand crept to Nevia's head, running his fingers through her soft and thick hair. The soft fragrance of flowers in her hair was more enticing to the paladin than the feel of her weight upon his body. He pulled her closer to him so their eyes were leveled.

Her eyes brimming with tears, Nevia's eyes closed and the salty water gracefully spilled down her cheeks onto the paladin's face before he pulled her close for a kiss. Their lips touching in a shy exploration of each others mouths. Erix smiled, pulling away slightly, gently nibbling on the sorceress' lower lip as he did "Nevia..." he breathed, raising his head to kiss her again, this time with more passion.

Their tongues slipped past each other's lips again, slowly dragging along and, at times, having awkward moments when their tongues bumped into each other in a small quarrel. Nevia giggled and pulled away at the tickling sensation of Erix's tongue tracing the roof of her mouth. She smiled, her eyes still welled with tears.

He smiled back warmly, his mouth claiming hers again as his hands latched onto the soft curve of her slim waist. Nevia kissed him back urgently through her smile. Erix's arms encircled her waist snugly as he rolled her over on the bed with him so she lay beneath him. Nevia blushed as she felt all of the delicious weight of his body pressed against hers. The paladin was kind enough to spare her from being completely crushed. He didn't know if she would be uncomfortable if he didn't at least prop himself up on his elbows.

The sorceress' small and delicate fingers laced together behind Erix's neck as she raised her head to kiss him again. Erix however avoided the kiss to plant one on her forehead. She paused, watching him watching her. "Gods, you're so beautiful," he whispered. Nevia sheepishly looked away, "You're only saying that because you want some."

Erix frowned, "No, I'm not."

She laughed. "Oh really?" Her eyebrow arched as she smirked. "What is that? A clasped orb in your pocket?" 

He paused, "Actually...." Reaching with one hand, he pulled out a clasped orb from his pocket. "Fara said this isn't in need of repairs." Nevia stared at her weapon and flushed red. Taking it from him, she tossed it aside and shook her head in disbelief, "Well, THAT ruined it."

"Sorry."

She laughed again. "No, don't be sorry. I think that's funny.... kind of embarrassing for me though..." she paused thoughtfully, still looking blissful. "I'm a lousy seductress, aren't I?"

"Yes," he answered all too quickly.

The sorceress in response faked a hurt look. "You trying to make me cry now?" She turned her head away from him.

"Nevia..." he gently turned her face so she could look at him. When her irises were clearly focused on him, she took his right hand and guided it to her chest, firmly placing it on her left breast. Erix sucked in his breath quickly when his hand contacted the softness of her cloth-covered breasts. He looked deeply into her eyes and hesitated before asking "Do you want to...?"

"That's what I was just going to ask you.... I care about you a lot," she started slowly in a serious voice. She paused briefly, trying to express herself properly. "But how do you feel.... what about Rune?"

The paladin's expression darkened on that name. "What about him?"

"... Doesn't it bother you that I slept with him? And now you want me in the same way?"

Erix rolled off of Nevia and sat on the edge. "Honestly, yes. It does. I feel like slicing off that bastard's—"

"—Don't call him that... He's not the only one to blame," Nevia replied softly. "He's not a horrible person."

"Yeah, he is," he thought angrily, tempted to voice his thoughts. "How else do you describe someone who takes advantage of a woman in that state?" His eyes fell immediately after that thought. Nevia immediately noticed the sudden change. "What? What is it?" She quickly sat up next to him on the edge of the bed, leaning down to look up at him. The look on the paladin's face was mixed pain and disbelief. He looked paler than a scared necromancer... if such a thing existed.

"I'm just the same as Rune? Aren't I?" he thought bitterly. "I took advantage of her.... Not as bad.... but still. If I hadn't, maybe she wouldn't have ended up having sex with that stupid prick. This is all my fault..."

"Erix? What's wrong?" Nevia gently shook his shoulder, getting worried.

He slowly got up. His thoughts were growing fuzzy to avoid getting angry with himself. He turned to Nevia and kissed her reverently on her forehead. "I forgot, I'm supposed to meet with Fara. Please wait here, I'll be back soon," he said, quickly heading to the door before Nevia could protest.

The door closed behind him and she was left staring at it. "What was that about?" she thought, confused. "Sometimes I just don't understand him."

A small knock at the door suddenly startled the sorceress. She walked up to the door, hesitating and hoping it was Erix coming back... but that was unlikely. He didn't have to knock. "Yes?"

The owner of the inn was heard from the other side. "Miss? That man who left just asked me to send up a bottle of wine and pour two glasses for when he returns."

She sighed happily and opened the door, "How nice," she commented, letting the owner inside. The smallish man smiled back, carrying a silver tray with two glasses and a wine bottle into the room. He set the tray down on the nearby table and uncorked the bottle as Nevia sat down at the table, submerging herself in her own thoughts again.

I never thought he was capable of being such a thoughtful man... she thought happily. Even though I can guess a hidden motive... but, it is sweet. And is that hidden motive really so bad if I want the same thing of him?

Once the man had finished pouring one glass of wine, he quickly left, taking everything but the filled glass with him. Nevia was about to point out his mistake but he exited the room in such a hurry that her hesitation was all he needed to shut the door behind him. "Huh... strange guy," she stared at the filled wine glass, puzzled. "He said Erix asked to have TWO wine glasses.... ah well, I'll just call him back after."

She picked up the glass and took a small sampling sip of the wine. It tasted awful. She frowned, "What is this stuff? It's horrible." It took her a few seconds to realize her mistake. She had forgotten that wine tastes different in every region and "I forgot that I hate wine," she muttered, shaking her head and staring at the glass she still held in her hand. "But.... I don't want Erix to think I don't appreciate it... and besides, alcohol is supposed to taste better the more drunk you are."

When she was nearly finished her drink, the last thing she heard was the sound of the glass shattering on the floor. After that, nothing. Just silent darkness.

***

Atma smiled at the druid wistfully. "So, you're the one."

The ambient sounds of the sailors drinking and gambling threatened to drown out her soft voice if Rune had not learned how to concentrate on one sound like he would on one opponent. Propping up his arm against the bar and leaning in, he smiled back. "I am. So...you know why I'm here then?"

The woman in purple silk nodded, looking rather miffed. "I know. Apparently Warriv knows Elzix too."

The druid nodded, smiling at the waitress' dressed in a bellydancer's costume as she passed by. "So what's the problem then?

She narrowed her eyes, drumming her gold ring adorned fingers on the wooden bar. "Elzix and I have come to an understanding over the years. He sends travelers to me for drink and entertainment and I send them to him for a soft bed. Never have I been asked to do such a deed to make my patrons in OBVIOUS need of a bed."

Rune nodded, "You really have that much of a problem with it?"

Atma's thin lips pursed together tightly. "I don't have a problem with it, but my girls do." She glanced over at a nearby table where one of her girls' seated herself in the lap of a customer to allow the drunk to press his face into her cleavage for a small price.

He glanced at the spectacle before returning to the owner. "... Exactly HOW can they have a problem with it?"

"They're quite taken with paladins, you know," she explained, shaking her head. "If they find Erix drunk, they'd fight over who gets to take him. And on top of that, my other customers would feel ignored. That's not good for business."

Rune shook his head. "Obviously you aren't well informed. That WAS my original idea... but I have something better in mind—" He suddenly stopped. Something was strange. He felt a pair of eyes on him and seeming to dig into his back. He turned his head to find the female assassin he had seen in the marketsquare' sitting in the corner, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

He returned the icy gaze. "Assassins," he muttered, tempted to walk up to her and spit in her face. Instead, he turned back to Atma to fill her in.

***

The female assassin quietly watched, trying to read what the druid was saying to the bar owner by the movement of his lips. "Dammit," she thought. "What is he saying to her?" Although she knew that it wasn't like her to be so involved in other people's business, her woman's intuition was telling her that this person wasn't really a stranger. "I think I might know this guy...." she lifted her ale to her mouth again, taking a deep gulp. "But I've never seen him before.... so why do I get that feeling then?"

"YOU!"

In the door, a male paladin stood proudly and unarmed, pointing angrily at the druid as though he wished his hand could become a sword and slay the warrior. Beside the man stood another paladin, Fara, the great blacksmith of Lut Gholein. "Paladins.." the assassin thought darkly, tempted to walk up to them and spit in their faces. The male paladin's face looked so familiar to her though. She was more tempted to walk up to him and ask if she knew him from somewhere. "I know him... I'm sure of it..."

The druid stood up straight and grimaced. "What is it now?"

The assassin watched as the male paladin walked up to the druid and punched him right in the jaw. That hit made the orange-haired man stagger back weakly with a glare. "I should kill you for what you did to Nevia."

The paladin's words immediately hit the assassin. "Nevia...??" she thought excitedly. "Oh right! He's Erix. So THAT explains it. Hmm....and that druid must be Rune... He looks exactly how she described him. The orange-hair was a dead giveaway."

Atma quickly ran to the other side of the bar, standing between the two men. She instantly turned on Rune, her hands on her hips and her lips pursed tightly like she was preparing herself to spit poison in his eyes. "You! Young man, I want you to leave. There'll be no fighting in MY bar."

Rune stared blankly. "What?"

"You heard me. LEAVE."

Even the assassin was puzzled as she watched the druid leave. He looked confused as well. That confusion suddenly turned into a broad smile as he nodded and left obediently.

I don't get it, the assassin thought. Erix started the fight, not Rune. Why is HE being asked to leave?

***

Rune hurriedly ran through Lut Gholein towards the inn. "Elzix!" he yelled as soon as he spotted the innkeeper. Elzix was doing the same thing he had been doing since Rune first talked to him. He was standing nervously in front of the inn, rubbing his hands together with a fearful look set on his thinning face. "Well?"

Elzix nodded, "Yes, once Nevia drank the sleeping root mixture, I carried her to the closet, just like you instructed me to."

Rune nodded, "Excellent. So, everything's alright then?"

He hesitated, "Erix stopped by a few minutes ago with Fara. He questioned me on that woman's whereabouts and also the broken glass on the floor."

The druid's face blanched. "And what did you say?????"

"I told him that she ordered some wine but felt lightheaded' from it so she went to talk to Lysander for a potion to cure it."

The druid breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was Erix being the one to ruin his plans. "Atma has agreed to slipping in both of the ingredients," he paused to admire his hard work. "This is all too perfect. Well done, Elzix. I have to make a few finishing touches though."

The innkeeper nodded as Rune left without another word. He quickly returned to business, trying to attract the people on the streets, mostly travelers, to stay in his lodgings. He approached a young and agile looking assassin. "Miss, how about staying the night at my inn? It can get awfully cold out here in the desert.

The assassin looked up at the double building and glanced in the direction the druid had gone. "Yes, I think I'll stay for the night."


	5. Chapter 5

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 5)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

***

Above the smoke and chatter of the other patrons in the bar, Erix grumbled, "Of all the places to go, it had to be the one Rune was in." He slammed some gold on the bar hastily as Fara sat down, smiling awkwardly. The paladin was in a bad mood thanks to the sight of the druid. He so badly wanted to kill him for stealing the innocence of his beloved.

"Don't let it get to you," Fara replied calmly, trying to bring the paladin into a calm state of mind similar to her own. He slowly nodded with a deep breath, "You're right..." He looked up at Atma as she placed one drink in front of him and Fara. With a proud smile, she apologized sincerely, "I'm so sorry about that man upsetting you earlier. Here, for both of you, two specials, on the house." She pushed the small coins of gold across the bar top, closer to Erix.

His eyebrows furrowed, confused. "Oh... ok... thanks." Fara smiled warmly, taking her glass and lifted it cheerfully for a toast. "To... reunions." Erix frowned. Those were the exact words Rune had said to Nevia the night before he slept... no... raped her. "No... to better days."

Puzzled, but not picky enough to question it, Fara nodded, "To better days then." Their glasses clinked. Both of them were completely oblivious to what Atma was really smiling about.

***

Rune tossed the white and red flower petals at the scrunched up thin silk sheets. Within their room, he was making the environment 'suitable' for the couple to occupy it very soon. To do so, he had bought some flowers, which were incredibly expensive, and tossed the petals all over the room, most of the petals on the bed. He smiled, turning around and enjoying the soft scent of burning incense before returning to his work. Tugging on the left headboard corner of the bedsheet, Rune pulled it out of its place of being tucked in under the soft and worn in bedding.

"Lysander sure knows potions well...." he murmured to himself as he turned to the pillows he had set on the floor. Picking one up, he fluffed one and placed it in the middle of the bed to start a pile. He recalled the old man's surprised face when he suddenly came up to him and asked for a hallucinogen and the 'goddess' aphrodisiac.

"What in the world would you need a hallucinogen for?" he remembered the curious old man asking with thin narrowed eyes.

"Uh.... I have a friend who likes hallucinating..." was his feeble reply. The question had caught him COMPLETELY off guard. The old man just chuckled in return with a mischievous gleam in his eye, "No worries... I don't really care what people do with my potions as long as I make money."

Rune had finished the pile of silken pillows on the bed and he stepped back to admire his work. The bed, though rumpled and unmade, did have quite a mysterious nature to it. Why did it seem that unmade beds look so much more sexy than those made with such care? Perhaps because it spoke of what happens to make it look that rumpled.

Moving away from the bed, he walked over to the balcony, pushed the curtain aside and smiled at the sorceress slumped against the metal rail and sleeping peacefully hidden behind several plants and the curtain. The druid crouched down at the feet of the sorceress, pulling a bottle out of his pocket.

"I'm sorry I have to put you through this Nevia," he whispered softly as he uncorked the glass bottle with a quick tug. He leaned closer to her and pressed the mouth of the glass against her bottom lip. "But, please understand, I'm doing this all for you... for us.... I can't lose you."

With that, he tilted her head back with the bottle still pressed against her lip. The clear fluid in the bottle trickled out into her mouth and Rune shut her mouth, leaning his mouth close to her ear. "I love you... so just drink, and then we can return things to the way they were... just you and I."

"Sir!" a frantic voice called from the doorway. The druid quickly whirled around to greet the sight of Elzix, looking pale and distraught. "They're coming!" Those words brought a smile to Rune's face. He quickly slid the curtain over to hide the plants Nevia was hidden by. "And how are they acting?"

Elzix motioned for Rune to leave the room, "Exactly as you planned, sir."

Rune grinned, "Perfect."

***

Erix smiled groggily as the eager sorceress tugged on his sleeve. "C'mon, Erix," she pouted, pulling him up the stairs of the inn. The paladin nodded, though confused and feeling lightheaded, "Maybe we had too much to drink," he thought simply, taking notice that Nevia never really came on as strongly as she had today. It was strange... also strangely arousing to him. In the bar, Nevia suddenly just wrapped her arms around him and pressed her breasts into him when she walked into the bar and found him. After that, he forgot what happened to Fara and just figured she had left realizing that three's a crowd.

"Maybe she left when things were getting too heavy between Nevia and I..." he thought as he walked into the their room and slamming the door shut behind them.

Nevia gasped at the sight of the bedroom, "This is lovely.." she murmured softly, immediately walking over to the bed and sitting on the soft edge. She looked up at Erix with a smile and slowly pulled off her shirt. She tossed it to the side and he did the same before approaching her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss her. She grinned and, before his lips could touch her, she grabbed a hold of his arms and pulled him forward onto the bed and on top of her. 

Erix chuckled. He had never seen Nevia this playful... especially this kind of playful. She was so sexy being the way she was at that moment. Unpredictable. He leaned in kissing Nevia's mouth and greeted her soft tongue as it hastily darted into his mouth for a reunion with his own. With his right hand on her left hip, he slid it along the curves of her soft figure, letting it rest on the softness of her breast.

Her moan was trapped in her mouth, but she had no complaints. Without warning, she pulled away from the kiss and pushed him off of her. Erix looked at her in surprise as the sorceress slowly sat up. He was about to sit up and ask what was wrong when she suddenly slammed her left hand down on his bare chest to stop him. "No... wait... let me," she murmured as her hand glided down his shirt to his pants.

Through the cloth, she gently squeezed the tent in his pants and he let out an appreciative groan. She smiled and tugged at both sides of his pants, trying to peel them off of him. That didn't work. She tried again, still no success. With a frown, she furiously grabbed at the pants again trying to rip them off of Erix. The frustration she was experiencing was obvious.

Erix softly laughed as Nevia's attempts became more desperate. But, despite his need to relieve himself of the pants, since they were a hindrance to what he wanted, he enjoyed watching Nevia's attempts. Every time she tried and failed, her breasts would bounce and shake softly. It was so inviting.

Finally, Nevia grunted angrily as she continued pulling vainly at the waist of his pants, unable to pull them off. He placed his hands on hers and smiled, "Kind of hard to do that when I'm lying down, you know."

She smiled sheepishly, "That's not the only thing that's hard..." she commented coyly. With that, Erix quickly shed his clothing, eagerly awaiting what Nevia had in store for him. She only smiled at the sight of his naked body before her.

"My my... aren't we excited?" she said softly with a laugh.

The paladin smiled, trying to not let his embarrassment show. "Yes, well... can you blame me?" he moved slid closer to her on the bed and hugged her, "You're absolutely beautiful. I'd have to be either insane or blind not to appreciate someone like you."

Nevia smiled in Erix's embrace, unaware of his smug expression or of his hands lightly gripping the waistband of her pants. In one quick motion, he pulled at her pants, pulling them off of her body as she feebly struggled against him. A gasp escaped the young woman as the she was stripped down to her last piece of clothing. "Why you...!" she started in mock anger as she hit his shoulder playfully.

A thought suddenly came to Erix, "Was she wearing pants? I thought Nevia was wearing a skirt?" He quickly shrugged off that thought. Really, what kind of person thinks about what a person was wearing at a time like this when clothing really shouldn't be an issue.

Erix smiled and grabbed both of her shoulders, pushing her to lie flat on the bed. She struggled weakly as he succeeded. "Don't fight me," he whispered softly, letting one hand trail down from her shoulder to squeeze her breasts. Her chest rose and sank with each heavy breath. She moaned as he playfully teased her body, enjoying the feel of the soft flesh he controlled. His hand continued going lower, down her smooth and taut stomach. Nevia giggled, pushing his hand away, "Don't," she simply warned him.

A grin split his face, "So, you're ticklish?" The sorceress' flushed face answered his question. His eyes sparkled mischievously. Nevia knew exactly what he was going to do. "Nooo!" She shrieked, laughing as he pinned her down and tickled her. His fingers lightly feathered over her stomach and sometimes sweeping over her breasts.

She laughed, trying to fight him. "Stop that!" Although she hated being tickled, her face betrayed her with a sincere smile. Erix continued tickling her, turned on even more at the sight of her breasts bouncing with each movement she made to fight back. Nevia's palms pressed against Erix's chest, trying to push him away. Only then did she feel it.

Nevia smiled and pulled the paladin close to her, allowing his body to lie upon her body and crush her into the pillows and flower petals scattered on the bed beneath her. "I want you..." she said softly as every bit of her body and mind agreeing with her words.

The sorceress' eyes stayed locked to Erix's own eyes as her legs spread to allow his waist and hips to firmly rest in place. She could feel him, excited, ready and impatient... demanding that its own needs be fulfilled.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly. An electric tingle seemed to seep into both bodies once the contact was made. She nodded eagerly, her tongue darting out to wet her lower lip as she pushed to meet him.

Erix grunted, murmuring the sorceress' sweet name.

***

"Nevia..."

The voice called out to her darkly... like a prayer.

Nevia's eyes slowly opened and she immediately shielded her eyes from the glaring sun. She felt weak and drained like a person who had slept in for too long. The airy fragrance of jasmines hit her and she stared questioningly at the small clay pot on her right side. On her left side was metal rail... the balcony.

"Ugh... what happened?" she softly groaned, her hand gingerly touching her forehead, thinking she may have fallen and hit her head.

Finding no bump or bruise, she lifted her back away from the rail. Her back was quite grateful that it no longer had to deal with the painful pressure of the metal. "Why am I here?" she thought, slowly getting up and facing the red curtain that separated the balcony from the bedroom. Her hand reached out to throw the curtain aside when a word made her breath solidify to ice in her throat.

"Erix......" a deep yet feminine voice moaned.

Nevia froze and she swallowed hard. She hesitated on what to do. Should she open the curtain or not? She paused, biting down on her lip. It's probably nothing, she thought. But then why do I feel so strange about this? .... Maybe I better just take a small peek in case.

Walking over to the end of the curtain nearest the wall, she pulled a small part of the cloth to make an opening for her eye to see in to the room. The sight was beyond her belief. "Ahhhhhhhh, harder...!" a bronze-skinned woman cried, her hands gripping the man's muscular back. 

On the bed, in each others' arms, Nevia could see Erix with Fara, obviously lost in their ecstasy. Erix had has back to Nevia while the blacksmith's bronzed face was visible. Fara's eyes were squeezed shut as she moaned out with every thrust the paladin produced. The cries the older woman's voice made seemed to echo and grow louder as they flew to the Nevia's ears, draining the colour from the sorceress' face and the happiness from her heart. 

"Erix..." she thought, her eyes welling with tears. "No.... it can't be."

"Uhh... I love you," he uttered between grunts. His hands kneaded the muscles of Fara's thighs as he spread her legs apart even more to ravish her body even more. A lust-consumed look fell over the female paladin's face, "I love you too," she purred in response like a content lover. "So good..."

Nevia felt sick, like a foul and venomous seed was growing inside her stomach, ready to burst and kill her without warning. She felt like she was dying on the inside just from watching Erix make love to another woman. She wanted to turn away, but she couldn't tear herself from the sight. It was painful to watch.

Fara released her deathgrip that twisted the silk sheets to grab at her own hair. Her head swished side to side, her hair tumbling in the directions she pulled as her passion-infused moans escalated.

It was only then that Nevia noticed the flower petals scattered all over the room. Erix obviously decided to 'decorate' the room to make the proper atmosphere to-to...to.. her thoughts faded as the tears streamed down her face. The salt excretions stung her skin as her eyelids closed, forcing more droplets of the salty liquid to trail again. How could you...?

The tears were rapidly welling up and running over. Her vision was blurring, but even with the details gone, she could still make out two blurry figures still rapidly in the middle of their passion.

She managed to tear herself away from the sight and quickly sank to the balcony floor. The sorceress pressed her hand hard against her mouth to keep her sobs from escaping while doing nothing about her flowing tears. She blinked rapidly before her eyes shut tightly, trying to cut off the tears. Her lips pursed together tightly behind her hand as she cried, unable to block out the sounds going on in the connected room. Erix's words came to her again, ringing over and over in her head, "You're the only one for me."

He had said it so honestly to her before... he sounded sincere, like he meant every bit of it. And the next thing she knows, he's willingly in the arms of Fara and fucking her senseless. Nevia shook her head rapidly as she came to the conclusion.

He was going to use me, she thought, a choked sob heard in her throat. He said he loved me only to try and sleep with me..... Just what he's doing to Fara.... how could he???!

Nevia made a fist with her free hand and pressed it against the concrete floor. Her feelings were all over the place. She felt like breaking something, but then she'd draw their attention. She wanted to barge in and yell at Erix, but she was crying and didn't want anyone to see her weak like that. She wanted to run and not stop until she knew she was far from any other Erix's of the world, and at the same time she wanted to stay close to him and torment him so he could never use another woman.

"Nevia..." a voice behind her suddenly called out.

Startled, she slowly looked up and was surprised to see a pale thin face belonging to a female. On the balcony next to the one she was on, a dark short-haired woman stood looking at her with sympathetic and friendly eyes. "Nevia, are you alright?"

The sorceress looked up at her, confused at how this woman knew her name. This woman, dressed in black leather like an assassin, looked rather familiar. She even had a striking resemblance to an old friend she had back in--

"Krysta?" she blurted out weakly, a choked sob escaping. The assassin nodded, "Yes." That was all it took for Nevia. She quickly stood up and carefully climbed over to the next balcony over to her friend.

***

Nevia picked up the teacup and sighed. Her face looked red and drained. "I can't believe he'd do that to me." After settling in for ten minutes in Krysta's room and much explaining, Nevia was trying to calm her nerves with a cup of chamomile tea that the assassin had specially made for her. 

The assassin picked up her own teacup, "I know what you mean but....." She regarded the sorceress oddly, "I know you have better judgment of people than that... so... something's REALLY off." She took a small sip before continuing on. "The way you described Erix... I just can't see him as the kind of person to do this... are you SURE it was Erix?"

Looking somewhat offended, Nevia shouted back, "Of COURSE it was Erix! I'm not an idiot!" The sorceress sighed, taking a deep breath to avoid screaming any more. "Anyways, um, I'd rather not talk about that... how about you? Last I heard you were with someone? Who is she?"

The woman nodded bitterly, "Yeah...... I--" A sudden cry through the wall entered the room. The sound of Fara screaming with Erix's voice. Nevia shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the moaning and wailing continued.

With a sigh, Krysta slowly got up, "This is really distracting, c'mon, I know a private place where we can talk but....let's go out from the balcony across this room," Krysta suggested, drawing an odd expression from Nevia.

"What?! Why?"

Krysta sighed, shaking her head, "Just trust me..... assassin's intuition. I get the feeling something's going on."

***

Rune paced back and forth in Atma's bar. The female owner was trying to calm the druid by offering him a mug of beer. Instead of a thank you she received a glare.

"This is no time for me to be drinking!" he hissed, nervously running his hand through his orange mane. "I have to be ready for when she comes here!"

Atma nodded, "I see... just sit down and try to be calm."

Rune sighed. It really wasn't that easy. He was starting to worry and he only got like that when he has to rely on outside help. His mind instantly zoomed in on one possible problem. "Elzix," he thought, making a fist. "What if Nevia scares him and he spills his guts??" He shook his head rapidly, "Damn, I can't let that happen!"

He quickly got up and dashed out of the bar, ignoring Atma's plea for him to sit down.

The soles of his heavy leather boots scraped against the rough sand and stony paths as he ran towards the inn, his mind frantically fearing the worst. "My plan, so close to fruition, I can't let some dumbass like Elzix screw it up!!" He glanced up at the balcony as he turned the corner. Empty. As he turned the corner, he stopped sharply. There was Elzix, looking more panicky than ever.

"Where is she???!!" the druid's voice boomed angrily at the thin innkeeper.

"I-I-I don't know!" he cried, his face paling. "I searched all over the place, she's nowhere to be found!"

Rune paled. There was one possibility he had not calculated or planned for and it was coming true. Nevia had ran away.

___________________________________  
Reviews appreciated... man, I was listening to Vanessa Mae's "Warm Air" and also a hip-hop radio station while writing this... so.... felt weird in terms of the emotions. ^_^;; Heh heh.


	6. Chapter 6

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 6)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

***

Sturdy sticks of wood bound in a triangle and supporting a small gadget sprung out from the ground. That small gadget however was often underestimated because of its size. The enemy however could only laugh briefly before hell's wrath was unleashed and the evil was engulfed in a furious wave of a fiery pain.

The same ice queen' expression remained glued to Krysta's feminine facial features as the intense glow of the fire illuminated her skin and sparkled in her dimmed eyes. Nevia quietly observed Krysta as she cruelly watched the scarab demon writhe in agony. The scarab's demonic scream ripped through the foreboding silence that inhabited the Halls of the Dead.

The fire slowly died, crackling - hopeful like a human's last breath in its life. Krysta quietly turned away with a deep breath, her eyes scanning the empty room, no life left except for the sorceress and her own. All evil had been eradicated from these evil halls...Halls of the Dead indeed.

Krysta walked over to an open, charred sarcophagus. She quickly located the cover and returned it to its rightful place, Nevia still watching.

The black-leather clad woman motioned for the sorceress to sit down upon the vacant death-box for a chat. "In a place like this??" Nevia thought, sauntering over. "I know she wanted privacy, but this is nuts."

The assassin remained quiet as she removed the razor sharp katars from her hands and let them drop to the floor with a clatter. "My love... she was an amazon," she murmured softly.

Nevia stared, unsure of whether Krysta was joking or not. "A-are you serious? An amazon??" The assassin's face hardened into a stern gaze, "Yes, you're not the only one surprised by that either." Nevia was absolutely stunned, "An amazon," she repeated, still in disbelief, "Whoa.... That's odd... what's next, a paladin?"

A dark gaze shot out from the assassin, startling the sorceress. The corner of her mouth frowned. "Paladins...." she scoffed. "I'd rather die."

The raven-haired sorceress blinked. "Did I say something wrong?" She thought before speaking, "Uh... what was her name?"

Taking a deep breath to prepare for her story, Krysta lowered her head, "Her name was Avery... and, gods, she was beautiful... she also was very intelligent." A sorrowful smile spread across Krysta's pale face. "She also said things that even crossed my mind. It was like she was reading my mind. I thought we were connected and it was fate...." her voice trailed.

Nevia sympathetically squeezed Krysta's shoulder as a prompt to continue on.

***

Among the scattered flower petals and silk pillows thrown on the bed, a pair of dark brown eyes beneath strong eyebrows peered out from its fluttering eyelids. His vision slightly blurred, he groaned and grasped the side of his head lightly in response to the chorus of dull pain echoing from his temples. He threw the thin silk blanket off of his nude form.

The angry flickering of the oil lamp from the wind's warm and gentle breath forced the shadows of all the objects in the room dancing in hypnotic rhythm to the garish light. His shadow moved along with him as he sat up in his bed, shaking his head momentarily before focusing his eyes.

Through the open doors of the balcony, a gust of the dry desert wind floated in, sweeping lightly like whispers on his bare skin and making him shiver as though in a ghost's wrath. Faint sounds of distant chattering, conversation and singing drifted into the quiet sanctuary along with the musky smell of burning incense laced in the gusts of the Lut Gholein wind. Another strong burst of wind rushed in, playfully running along the masculine curves of his body and ruffling his hair..

Erix licked his lips. The painful dryness of his cracked lips left but the strange taste in his mouth remained. Perhaps it was morning breath, but an odd one with a slightly tart and dry aftertaste, reminding him of a sleeping draught he once downed in a desperate attempt to cure his insomnia. "What is that taste?" he groaned softly, looking around the room for something to wash down the horrid taste.

"Mmmmm..." 

Erix froze as the ghost's wrath-like feeling returned and gripped him tightly. "??" He hesitantly turned to his leftside and the sheet he had rid himself of was shifting. The voice sounded deep, but not deep enough to be male. That was comforting to know.

The paladin smiled and leaned into the silk-cloaked hourglass figure that was lying on its side away from Erix. "Nevia," he murmured, his hand falling upon the shoulder of his blanketed lover. "Wake up." Nevia didn't move an inch in response to his shaking. She lay perfectly still, her breath freezing in her chest.

He chuckled. He knew damn well that the woman wasn't a morning person and often looked as though she'd spontaneously combust if sunlight graced her skin. But, even though he woke up to her grumpy face with a dread on all the countless mornings of their journeys, he knew that today would be different. He just had no idea how different it would be.

"Wake up," he murmured again in a low voice, pulling the warm blanketed body closer to his own nakedness. The corners of his lips twitched playfully. "Nevia, get up or we'll have to do it all over again." Of course, he was hoping she didn't respond at all so he could caress every curve of her body once more.

With a satisfied grin, Erix counted to three, his hand slipping under the blanket and finding one of her voluptuous breasts to bestow an affectionately possessive squeeze upon. He gently kneaded the soft flesh of her breast and was thanked with a small moan. "Nevia..." he murmured, lifting away the thin blanket to kiss his beloved's face.

His own face contorted with shock and confusion when the dainty facial features he was expecting to find were replaced with a much stronger facial structure and dark eyes staring back—dark eyes which weren't of Nevia's hue. "Nevia?" the woman repeated in a shocked tone.

Erix's eyes widened as he pulled back, getting off the soft bed, unable to comprehend the switch in women. "F-Fara???" he stammered, his right hand grabbing at his hair. "What're you doing here??"

Groggily, the female blacksmith slowly sat up on the bed, her dark skin standing out against the pale lavender silk blankets. "E-erix?" she stared at him, one eye half open but displaying the same bemused expression..

The paladin could barely believe his eyes. _What was she doing here?_ He thought, shaking his head with a silent prayer that any second he'd wake from this nightmare. But his prayer remained unanswered as his eyes swept over Fara's body in all her naked splendor. His eyes drifted from her half-lidded eyes to the curve of her neck and then to the dark circles of her nipples.

Catching his gaze, Fara became fully aware of her nakedness and Erix's. She quickly pulled the blanket up, clutching it close to her chest to hide her charms. She turned away and blushed furiously, her tangled hair falling in front of her face as though to shield her from any more embarrassment.

Erix responded identically to her own actions. He grabbed at one of the blankets and wrapped himself in it. He sat down hesitantly on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to say.

***

Nevia shifted nervously in her seat atop the sarcophagus. She hated having to listen to the story of Krysta's passionate moments with her dearest Avery. It wasn't the details that made her uncomfortable, it was because she found herself aroused at the thought of two women together. With her knees touching together, she squeezed her thighs together by flexing the muscles. She could feel her arousal pulsing through her lower body and she didn't want that feeling to stay.

The assassin sighed, raising and turning her head to face the other woman. "There will always special moments with a loved one that will be remembered and greatly missed when they're gone... I think the reason I loved her so much was after making love to her.... I realized that she could be both strong and vulnerable at the same time... but ONLY for me. I loved that so much. She was really something special to me."

Nevia nodded, looking up and staring at the empty halls in front of her as Krysta's eyes settled upon the sorceresses body. She chuckled inside, knowing that the young sorceress probably was turned on. What gave it away was how stiffly she was sitting and the sight of her hardened nipples through her shirt. With a mischievous gleam in her eye, the assassin cutely beeped her friends nipple through the emerald green cloth.

Startled by the sudden touch, the sorceress fell backwards over the sarcophagus, landing on her back upon on a small and dusty pile of a decaying skeleton with her legs still up on the sarcophagus. "Ahhh!!" she shrieked, not at the remains she fell upon but at the bold move of her friend. "What was THAT for???!

The assassin laughed throatily, "You were turned on."

"I-I'm not!!" she retorted feebly, still lying on the ground.

From her vantagepoint, Krysta her head towards where Nevia once sat and peered at the sorceress now on the floor. "Yeah you are, your panties don't lie."

"Don't look, you perv!" Blushing furiously, Nevia quickly threw her legs off the sarcophagus and got to her feet. Krysta laughed again, "You're so funny sometimes, you know?" Nevia turned away shyly, sitting back down on the sarcophagus as the woman continued on, "You act like I've said something REALLY wrong. It's not like I asked for a taste or anything."

Nevia blushed again, "Um, right."

Realizing she had gone too far, Krysta shook her head, coughing. The sound of her cough bounced off the ancient walls of the room and out to the narrow hallways with its grand stone pillars and statues. "I'm sorry about that. I guess because it's been so long since Avery left me, that I miss having a person to express my... desires... to..."

Nodding, she tried not to blush again. "You must've really loved her... I'm sorry."

"Don't be...." She bit lightly on her bottom lip. "I feel so empty without her.... and well, I guess I'm supposed to. Some people feel like dying for love and..." Krysta sighed softly, "then there's people like me. People who feel like dying from losing love..."

Nevia nodded again as a silence settled upon the shoulders of the two women. It was like a moment of silence to mourn the lost relationship. "I've never seen her like this..." the sorceress thought. "Then again, I've never really thought her as a person capable of loving..." That thought made her guilty enough to suddenly speak up, "If you don't mind my asking, why did she leave you?"

A grim expression stretched across Krysta's pale face. "She fell in love with a paladin.... and to make things worse, that paladin is male."

Her dark eyes widened, "Oh my.... I'm so sorry...."

The pale woman kept talking despite the tears welling in her eyes being on the verge of spilling over, "That man... Avery said he was perfect for her and... 'different' ... because he was an intellectual. She said she felt that she wanted someone more.... intelligent...." A tear fell down Krysta's cheek as the leader for the rest to follow suit. "That paladin is the brother of the blacksmith in the city--"

"Fara?" she quipped bitterly as a flash of the Fara's moaning face next to Erix's appeared before her.

Krysta nodded, hastily wiping her tears. "That's why I'm here." She choked on a laugh, her face scrunching to try and stop her crying. "I guess I'm just hoping that Avery might drop by here to see Fara.... I'm hoping for another chance." Nevia placed her arms around Krysta, allowing the sorrowful assassin cry on her shoulder.

"It's ok.... Just let it all out..." she said softly, trying to comfort her friend.

Krysta gripped Nevia's small shoulder, crying still into the other one. "You must think I'm pathetic..." she said, her voice breaking up between sobs. "It must be hard to understand..... I shouldn't be like this... I'm so pathetic."

Nevia shook her head, hugging the assassin tighter and feeling her own tears surface and spill. "No, don't say that. You're not pathetic," she replied, biting down her lip.

"I understand..." Nevia added silently. "You're just heartbroken..."

___________________________________  
Reviews appreciated... man, I was listening to Vanessa Mae's "Warm Air" and also a hip-hop radio station while writing this... so.... felt weird in terms of the emotions. ^_^;; Heh heh.


	7. Chapter 7

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 7)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

***

***

Donning his clothes and equipment, Erix leaned his head against the wooden doorframe as the stairs creaked in turn to Fara's descending footsteps. The paladin sighed heavily. _What the hell have I done?_ He asked himself, cursing under his breath.

He blamed alcohol, what else could explain it? In his head played the quick flashes of Nevia beneath him, writhing against his own sweat-slicked body while her nails lightly raked his broad shoulders. All of it seemed to hit him at once. He could still feel the rough, though loving, kisses she happily returned when she cupped his face in her hands. He could taste her lips and the way she kissed him with increasing ardor every time he murmured her name. All of it, every desire-filled moan, every heated caress haunted him. He was expressing his emotions for the wrong woman. He fucked Fara with all the feelings he should've given only to Nevia.

He and Fara concluded that the alcohol had played tricks on both of him. However, Fara was the lucky one. She was with no one, thus she had no one to scold her for her actions. No wonder she had been so calm during their talk. The two of them had agreed to keep their silence about what went on. Fara wanted that so she could go about her business without any rumours spreading about her, and Erix wanted that to protect Nevia.

The deal made Fara happy. Erix was not so easily pleased. That night was horrible only because of the truth that rang out in the morning. The night had brought him pleasure and left him with guilt as a souvenir. He remorsefully walked away from the crime scene and down the stairs, his mind reeling at the thought of Nevia's face if she learned what had happened.

He had to find her. His best bet was at the nearby tavern.

The walk to the bar was short, but felt stretched out like a murderer walking to the chopping block. He knew well what was coming. Nevia would cry a lot, but never in front of him. She'd say naught to him and dismiss him as though he held no meaning to her. Only once he was absent would she allow herself to weep. He knew her actions well and had no doubt in her mind how she'd react.

His heart wrenched as he pictured Nevia's grief-stricken face. She would instantly pale, throw him a hurt expression with her tears welling before averting her eyes to stop herself from crying. It wasn't so much the tears that would tear him apart, but the message of her eyes alone could drown him in sorrow: "You betrayed me."

At the corner of the building near the entrance, Erix took a deep breath and was still unsure of what to do. He could hide it from her... but how long could he keep up the charade? An unsettling thought struck him. What if one of the townsfolk broke the horrid news to her if he lied? Who knows how many people had spotted him running lustily to the inn with an equally eager Fara in tow? It would be worse to hear it from someone else and he knew it well.

Frustrated, he shook his head and uttered low curses at himself through clenched teeth. He didn't want to tell her, but he knew he should. After all, if he really loved her, he'd be honest to her even if it meant risking that very love she had for him.

But... wouldn't it be best to protect her from all the hurt? He thought suddenly, a plan forming in his mind. _She doesn't have to know. We could just leave Lut Gholein right away._

Trying to look as casual as possible, he sauntered into the dirty tavern, his eyes scanning the interior with each step. His gaze darted from person to person and not one of them was the woman he was searching for. His thoughts suddenly turned sour upon spotting the thick orange mane of hair belonging to the man he currently despised. _Rune, _he thought venomously, walking towards him without the man noticing until it was too late. He stretched out his hand, reaching towards the druid's shoulder.

_***_

Rune was in a very foul mood. His knuckles turned white as he roughly gripped the dirty mug in his hand and downed the alcohol. When the alcohol burned warmly in his belly, he grumbled aloud, not giving a damn if anyone heard him.

The druid had a right to be in a bad disposition. His careful, though spur of the moment, planning had gone awry and he had very little confidence in his current way around the mistake. He lifted his mug to his lips again, drinking in the beer. 

A hand suddenly fell upon Rune's shoulder, startling him. In mid-swallow of his drink, he choked, the alcohol stinging his throat as he coughed, fighting the urge to spit out the beverage.

"Where's Nevia?" a voice demanded.

Rune grimaced. He wasn't expecting Erix to show up so soon. But even so, that did not change anything. He had to stay on track and continue his plan. Turning on his chair, the druid's eyes stared strangely at the paladin, confused, "What? I dunno. I thought you were with her at the inn."

Erix paused, unsure of what to say. He didn't want any reminders of the inn, but it was too late. The image of Nevia's lithe body in a sheen layer of sweat with her heaving breasts crushed against his bare chest. He stared into empty space, looking directly past the druid as the memory played out before his eyes.

__

"Erix," _Nevia breathed out, her voice dropping into a low whisper as she brought her hands up to gently cup his face in her hands. "I love you." She let out another soft moan in response to his silken thrusts before biting down on her bottom lip to stifle her cries.  
He could feel her sweet breath warming his face and her hips tilting in time to his strokes, allowing him to be buried deeper within her.  
"I love you too," he murmured back, pressing his lips against hers and hearing her gasp escape into his mouth. _

Rune shifted uncomfortably on his stool. "Erix, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah. So, you haven't seen her at all?"

He arched an eyebrow suspiciously, "No, I told you already. I thought she was at the inn with you. Why?"

Erix frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. He was unfortunately wrong. He was certain that the only place Nevia would've come to would be the tavern. He paused. "No reason. You seen Deckard Cain or Warriv?"

The druid nodded. "The town center square," he replied, setting the mug down.

As Erix quickly spun around and headed to the door, he stopped abruptly in response to the sound of Rune's voice, "Why don't you ask Fara if she's seen Nevia?"

A chill ran up Erix's spine. He didn't like the tone Rune used in his suggestion. It was tainted with cruelty. "Uh, right," he muttered, sounding unsure and nervous.

Rune's serpent tongue spoke again and Erix stopped, turning around to listen. "By the way... I stopped by your room earlier looking for Nevia..." He paused for effect, fighting off the urge to smirk triumphantly. "I'm guessing that she wasn't the one you were with, huh?" He turned around on his barstool, hiding his joy at seeing Erix's face turn pale. 

_ Shit.... he knows.._

Rune continued on. "Poor poor Nevia..." He quickly narrowed his eyes. "You're pretty low to treat a woman like that," he hissed, his hand curling into a fist. "Especially Nevia."

Erix shook his head. "Look here," he began. "It's not what you think, I was—"

"—drunk." Rune cut him off. "Yes, I know. I heard that from Atma, as well as the rest of the people in the tavern." He frowned, a glare piercing into the paladin's eyes. "I don't believe that for one damn second and neither does anyone else. If anyone was drunk, it was Fara. You got her drunk and took advantage of her."

The paladin's face burned at the appalling accusation. How dare the bastard pin such a crime upon him! He was a holy soldier, he would never dishonor a woman in the way a street thug might. He squared his shoulders and glared at the rugged druid. "I would never do that to Fara."

"But you did."

"I did no such thing."

"You did so. It doesn't matter whether you drank the fucked her or whether you purposely seduced her," Rune muttered, returning the paladin's glare. "Fucking is still fucking no matter what comes before it."

Erix's body stiffened from the druid's words. His gaze lost its energy and no words rested upon his tongue to throw back. The druid had easily struck him down with that fact. He knew deep down inside the drink was an excuse, but what was he hoping to accomplish in using that? Nevia would not welcome him to her bed or to her heart again once learning of his coupling with Fara. She'd be greatly disappointed in him.

The paladin turned around and quietly left without noticing the broad grin currently upon Rune's face.

***

"So... now what?"

"Impatience, thy name is Nevia," Krysta murmured with a tiny smile.

"We're lost, aren't we?" the sorceress sighed, leaning against the spider-web and dirt laced walls.

Krysta's eyes darted side to side as she tried to recall what direction to go. Her eyes narrowed, trying to penetrate the darkness in the distance. As much as she hated to admit it, the smell of the corpses was really starting to make her skin crawl. She should be used to the smell and she knew it. She was an assassin, dealing with death was her specialty. She hastily turned to the left hallway and sprinted through it while making sure her boots made no contact with a dead corpse. Last time she stepped on a corpse, her heel got caught in the eye socket and she tripped, nearly slashing Nevia's precious neck.

After much turns and twists, the two women found themselves staring at a deadend.

"I think we are lost," Krysta laughed softly, shaking her head. "Sorry, but I don't have any town portal scrolls."

Nevia sighed. "I do, but I don't want to use it.

"It's only a scroll, don't be stingy."

The sorceress frowned, shaking her head. "I don't want to back like this. What if when we return, Erix is there waiting?" She lowered her head. "I don't want to see him... I-I can't."

The assassin gave Nevia a sympathetic hug. "I'm sorry, you're right. But... it's been hours. Maybe he's out looking for you? Besides... aren't you hungry?" She gave her a pleading, girlish gaze.

Nevia broke out laughing at Krysta's expression. "Yeah, a little." She smiled and quickly tossed a scroll up, her eyes squinting briefly when the bright, blue, swirling light appeared before them. "After you."

"No," Krysta smiled. "After you."

Nevia shook her head, complying.

The portal always made her feel dizzy. The bright lights combined with the heat that flooded her body was sometimes too much for her.

When the light and the warmth faded away, she reopened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of green glittering eyes.

"Nevia," Rune uttered hoarsely, ignoring her leather-clad companion. "Where have you been?"

She stared blankly. "Just around.... what's wrong?"

Rune's hands gently gripped Nevia's shoulders. He gazed deeply into her dark eyes, a sympathetic stare reaching her. "It's Erix. He's done something horrible."

Nevia's eyes darkened. "Rune... I already know... I was there."

___________________________________  
C+C appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 8)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

***

The coarse and dry sand under Erix's light plate boots sifted and _shhffft_ with each step. Under the scorching desert sun, the paladin cursed himself, tearing the full helmet from his head and throwing it into the sand. _Shffff._ If he knew just how hot it would've been at that time, he would've worn his ring mail instead of the scale mail. The metal woven pieces pulled at his shoulders, making him feel as though if he stood in one place too long he would sink into the grainy sand. 

He glanced up at the clear sky, a hand shielding his eyes from the burning glare of the angry sun. A warm bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he ran his other hand through his hair. _Goddamn it,_ he thought angrily. _Where could she be going?_

Erix had been wandering the desert aimlessly in search of Nevia. He knew she had to be out there... somewhere. Back in Lut Gholein he had asked all the merchants if they had seen her. Only Drognan had as she left the city gate.

He so badly wanted to see her. Just a glimpse of her smiling face and he'd feel as though everything was all right even with the crime he was guilty of with Fara.. He hoped so much to see her that every so often he saw Nevia running towards him from the distance. Whenever that happened, he knew he had to stop to drink more water or splash some on his face to free himself from the beautiful mirage.

He ran his hand through his damp and messy hair. _Where are you?_ He thought, brushing the sand off from the retrieved helmet

***

"What??? How?" Rune's eyes burned like emerald fire while a large helping of pure sympathy was etched in his voice.

Krysta's ears prickled at his tone. _I sense bullshit..._ she thought darkly, not letting her facial expression give away her thoughts.

Nevia hesitated, "Um..." How was she supposed to tell him of what she witnessed? It was embarrassing enough being there. The last thing she wanted to do was explain something she had very little recollection of. "I fell asleep on the balcony," she explained, slowly piecing everything together. "And when I woke up.... Erix and Fara were—" her voice choked just enough to make her stop.

"They did it in front of you??!" the druid looked utterly disgusted. "Why that no good--" 

"—How the hell did you fall asleep on the balcony?" Krysta interrupted, a dumbfounded expression on her face. She glanced over quickly at Rune. Had she been a second late, she would not have caught the aggravated expression. _Something's not right,_ she concluded to herself, predatorily watching the cunning druid from the corner of her dark eyes.

"Well, I did have a bit of wine before... maybe I had too much."

The assassin's eyes furrowed. "Maybe."

Rune turned to the young sorceress and nodded towards her companion. "One of your friends?"

Nevia and Krysta glanced at each other before the sorceress spoke, "Yeah, and old friend." The assassin nodded in turn, forcing out a polite greeting to the druid.

Rune hesitated before returning the greeting. He was slightly concerned at the sudden frosty air he could feel radiating around the assassin every time he said anything. _What if she knows something? This can't be good..._

"Do you know where Erix is?" Krysta asked, her eyes staring intently at the druid.

"Uh... no."

She nodded slowly, her eyes sweeping up and down over his large frame as though assessing his weaknesses so she can instantly kill him. Rune did not like that one bit. What he didn't like even more was Krysta tugging Nevia's sleeve possessively. "C'mon, I'll give you some more tea back at my room."

The sorceress's gaze flicked over to the druid before she agreed, letting the assassin pull her away from him by the green sleeve.

What is she up to? Rune thought darkly, his eyebrows furrowing.

Krysta smiled sweetly at Rune before whispering into Nevia's ear, "Go to my room and get the tea started. I'll be there in a minute, okay?" Ignoring the sorceress' confused though obedient expression, she ducked into Atma's tavern, striding directly to the bar.

Atma's eyes curiously made contact with the assassin's penetrating gaze. She suddenly felt nervous by the tension in the air even before the leather-clad woman spoke. "Erix was here yesterday, right?"

"Yes, he was," she replied crisply, her eyebrows knitting in worry.

A smile spread across Krysta's face as she leaned sideways against the bar, the indent of her right waist pressing against the wooden counter top. "Tell me, how much did he drink?" The assassin could've smacked Atma once she caught the look of hesitation. The woman's eyes had darted around... she was searching for a good answer.

"Oh, I don't know," Atma said airily. "There were a lot of people here, I don't keep track of how much everyone drinks."

Pursing her lips, Krysta's gaze deepened, searching the woman's face for the truth. "So, he must've had a lot then to be that hammered then, huh?"

Atma nodded, turning her back towards the sorceress. "Probably."

With an eyebrow arched, Krysta stared at the back of the violet-clad woman. She was horrifically tempted to dirty her katar with the Atma's blood. _She's lying,_ she thought, slowly turning around and heading out the door to start on her way back to her room.

Before casting a look over her shoulder, Krysta knew she'd find Rune still standing there—and she was right. There he stood, the proud druid clad in furs and other animal parts, watching her like a wolf would to its meal. She turned her head forward and gave off an involuntary shudder as she headed into the inn, passing by Elzix, immediately taking note of his uneasy glance from Rune to herself. _Elzix..._ she made a mental note to herself to check him out as well.

***

"Something's really wrong," Krysta started, scratching her arm as she peeled off her dark gloves. "I don't trust that guy."

Nevia was seated upon the bed, cross-legged and cupping her teacup in her two hands. "Huh? You mean Rune?"

"Yes, him." She set down her drink and paced around the room, the sound of her steps alternating between the clicking of concrete and the soft _tmps_ of the woolen rug beside the bed. "Don't go anywhere near him until I tell you it's safe. I know you have a history with the guy, but that gives him even more of a motive."

"Motive?" Nevia repeated, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Krysta glanced at Nevia to receive the skeptical look. _You can't even see it, Nev,_ she thought, pitying the woman. _He's just wrong, all very wrong. Everything's wrong..._ She stopped her pacing and sat down upon the bed next to her friend. "Okay, I'm gonna be frank with you. I think Rune's up to something."

Nevia blinked, "Pardon?"

"I think he knows more than he's saying," she tried again. "Something about him just doesn't settle well with me. Call it woman's or assassin's intuition; I know deception like the way I would know a lover, and this reeks of it."

"What're you talking about?"

Krysta hesitated, "Just bear with me for now. I'm gonna look into this more, but first," she leaned in closer, "I need you to tell me everything about him, just trust me on this."

***

Finally dame fortune was starting to smile upon Erix. _At last,_ he thought. In the sand, almost about the size of his palm, was a footprint, one of many in a trail he had finally been fortunate enough to stumble upon. Just from the looks of it, he knew it had to belong to Nevia. _Where are you going to, girl?_ He thought, turning on his heel and walking over the prints, following it to an unknown destination.

***

"Rune slept with you???!" Krysta's voice boomed in the room. She couldn't believe her ears. She quickly leapt off the bed and paced again. "He slept with you??!"

Nevia nodded feebly. "Yeah..."

Krysta hesitated. "Are you sure?"

The sorceress blushed furiously, "I think I'd know whether or not I lost my virginity to him!!"

Her friend sighed, "Right, sorry. I just find it hard to believe."

Nevia couldn't agree more. She was just as shocked to find herself naked with Rune. Surely she had more sense than to go sleeping with a man she didn't love. Her thoughts settled on Erix and she quickly brushed his face out of her mind. _Leave me alone_, she thought furiously. 

"How... did it happen?"

In a minimal amount of sentences, Nevia explained all: the talk by the fireside, the sex she barely remembers and the morning that Erix looked utterly heartbroken. Nevia's own heart wrenched in recollection of the paladin's hurt expression. She once again brushed away his face from her mind, not wanting to think of him.

"You don't remember the sex?" Krysta repeated.

Nevia shrugged, "I guess I was sleepy."

"..." The assassin stared blankly at the sorceress, staring at her as though she was a moron, and truly that's what she seemed like. "You don't feel sleepy when you're fucking," she remarked thinly. "That just doesn't happen... Something really is off. " She paused again. "Back to the balcony sleeping... you said you had some wine, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Erix sent it up."

"Erix did? Okay... how much did you drink?" 

"Not much at all."

A sudden pang rang out through her entire body. It hit her. Grabbing Nevia's shoulders, Krysta stared piercingly into her eyes, "That night with Rune, did you drink anything before?"

Nevia stared at her strangely, "Yeah, water." Krysta immediately pulled away from the sorceress, heading towards the balcony of the room, leaving a confused woman behind. The sorceress followed her, stepping out into the sun. "What is it?"

The assassin pointed at the wrought iron bars of the balcony, "There's no damn way you could've fallen asleep against those," she declared, slowly climbing onto the rail to jump to the next balcony, which was the room Nevia had.

Krysta ducked into the room, tearing the curtain off its rings. Her eyes scanned the room, immediately noticing the silk pillows, blankets and flower petals scattered and strewn around on the bed. _Tacky_, she thought simply, walking around the luxurious mess. Her eyes fell upon the table near the bed. _Aha. _Resting suspiciously on the table was the dark wine bottle. She quickly seized it before leaving to jump the balconies again.

Back in her room with Nevia, Krysta held the bottle in front of the sorceress. "This the one?"

She nodded.

Krysta brought the rim of the bottle to her nose, inhaling deeply. Her eyebrows knitted in response. She glanced at the sorceress, smiling in response to the curious look. "Tell me, does Elzix drink?"

"How would I know?"

A grin so broad spread across Krysta's face that it made Nevia nervous. "Only one way to find out." She headed towards the closed door with the bottle still in her hand. In a swift movement, she turned the knob, flung open the door and pivoted into the hallway. "Elzix!!"

Quickly, Krysta moved away from the doorway and slipped behind the door to hide as the footsteps of the innkeeper drew closer. Nevia was still watching her with an intrigued expression. A smile appeared though once Krysta pressed a finger against her lips and nodded in a way that could only be understood as "Get him in the room."

"Yes Miss?" Elzix asked, standing in the doorway.

Nevia nervously glanced around. "Um... there's something wrong with... uh, the bed." Krysta's eyes rolled. She could've thrown the bottle at the sorceress for such a stupid attempt. 

"There is?" Surprised and worried, Elzix drew closer to the bed, moving further into the room.

Huh... I guess a stupid excuse works on the stupid... Krysta thought, slamming the door shut. Wasting no time, she lunged at the ex-bandit, savoring the sight of the white of his eyes as he stared in shock. She roughly shoved him forward onto the bed and straddled his waist.

"Wha-what??!" 

"Hello, love," Krysta purred, seductively grinding her pelvis against the man's crotch. "I thought you'd like to join us." She turned to her friend and winked, but Nevia looked like she was about to faint.

Krysta ignored the sorceress for now and turned her interest back to the innkeeper. "Tell me," she murmured, living the wine bottle up. "Is this the wine Erix sent to his lady?"

The man turned white as the sheet he was pinned atop of. "Y-yes," he stammered all too quickly, hoping that the crazed woman wouldn't see through his white lie.

Didn't work.

"Stop lying!" She hissed, switching her tactic from seduction to interrogation. "If you think I'm stupid to believe that, how would you like to give me your brain?" She laughed darkly, glancing over at the sharp katar lying upon a nearby table. Leaning forward with her eyes still locked on his, she brought her face to be only inches away from his. "I'd be happy to slice it from your head." Cruelly, she then slid her tongue against his cheek, feeling the stubble prickle her soft lingua.

"I'm not lying! Erix asked it!"

Nevia shuddered and turned away as the woman kissed the innkeeper, angrily biting down on his lip to produce an agonized cry from him. "Krysta, do I have to watch this?"

Krysta's dark eyes turned on her with an evil glint. "This might take awhile..."

"Yeah, well, have fun then," Nevia said sarcastically, opening the door. As she left, she heard Krysta murmur in a haunting tone:

"I think I want to see what your blood looks like on my blades."

***

After much frustration and mirages, the set of small footprints finally came to an end. It took an hour of walking, but he finally reached the destination—an opening in the ground of the desert.

A chill ran up his spine as he slowly descended into the underground hole. From the thick smell that lingered in the air, he knew what his place was. _Maggot lair..._ he thought grimly. _Deckard Cain said that there's something in here we need... So... Nevia went without me. _He sighed, shaking his head and remembering all the times that woman disobeyed his order to wait for him.

Without another thought, he ducked in to the entrance, his breath catching in his throat as the stench grew stronger as he walked further into the lair.

***

Nevia found her way back into the room that Erix and her had. She stared at the bed. The silk pillows and blankets were still there. All the hurt came back to her and she remained mute against the pain, fighting off the tears springing to her eyes.

Without even looking, she ran to the door to leave. Instead of stepping into the hallway like she had hoped, she bounced back having hit a wall of muscle

"Ow!" she hissed, getting up and rubbing her sore bottom. She looked forward, an uneasy look on her face. "Rune..." All thoughts and her wits scattered from her grasp much like chickens would in response to a fox. Upon contact with his green irises, she had forgotten about Krysta's warning.

Rune smiled warmly, "Sorry."

Nevia shook her head, "Uh, that's ok..." She shrunk back slightly, wanting to leave. Nothing happened though. The two stared at each other, half expecting themselves or the other to start a conversation.

The druid finally broke the silence, "Listen, I want to talk to you."

A strange fluttering sensation occurred in her stomach. "Okay..."

He closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed. Sitting down on the silks, he rested his elbows on his knees and his face within his hands. "I'm really sorry about what happened with Erix."

She nodded, her throat tightening. "I know, you said that."

Rune shook his head angrily. "No! I mean it. I'm really sorry about it. I..." He sighed. "I should've protected you."

Nevia stared at him oddly. "But Rune, you couldn't have done anything. It's not your fault."

Slowly getting his feet, he admired her sincere expression. "You don't get it, Nev." His eyes sparkled as he stared at her. By the gods, he wanted her so bad. He watched as she turned away, pacing the room slightly in order to understand his words.

Her body hypnotized the druid. The sway of her hips; the feminine muscles of her legs; the way her fingers toyed with her hair; the luscious curves of her breasts. He wanted it all. He wanted to see it all, close up and not a scrap of cloth to hide even an inch of her. When he would kiss her, he'd kiss as though to consume her, to make her completely his to have and to hold. Of course, he'd do more than kiss her. He wouldn't be a man if he could not admit to himself that he wanted this woman in every position possible.

He slowly got up and walked towards her. As she spoke, he heard no words, only saw the delicate movement of her soft and moist lips that he longed to ravish.

"I don't get why you're so obsessed with—" She couldn't finish her sentence. Rune's mouth was atop of hers, pressing fiercely against her lips and not caring if his lips were bruised by the hardness of her teeth.

His kiss was possessive. It was a claim to make her lips his. His hand found its way to her head, tangling itself within the silken strands of her long and dark hair as it forced the woman to press back against him. His free hand slipped to the small of her back, pushing to crush her body against his.

Nevia was shocked by his bold move, even more when she felt his tongue snake into her mouth to taste her tongue. She pressed her hands up against his chest to push him away. It was useless. She was not strong enough to fight to win and already her thoughts were being muddled up by the actions of his hands and skilled tongue.

Rune's hand left her back. It glided around the gentle curve of her waist and trailed up her abdomen to cup one of her plump breasts. Despite the ferocity in his desire and the suffocating kiss, his touch was quite gentle. He fondled her breast lovingly instead of like the crazed horny madman's touch she was expecting. 

If Nevia's body could cry out without asking permission from her brain, it would scream for more. Her body was aflame and responsive to Rune's actions. Her voice and mind remained rebellious however, refusing to give in to the pleasure her body absorbed. She felt his thumb suddenly circle around on her breast, finding her hardening nipple. He lazily dragged it back and forth, over the turgid flesh as his other hand left her hair to slide down her back.

Nevia's moaned into Rune's mouth, her tongue instantly joining in the kiss. She pressed back against his body, forcing her breast to fit into his hand. She could feel his hardness pressing firmly against her stomach. A strange feeling fluttered low in her loins as her arousal grew in response to the evidence of his own.

Rune responded by kneading her breast roughly and kissing her noticeably harder than before. His hand other hand continued its journey down her back to squeeze her buttock from under her skirt.

What am I doing??! She backed away with a bewildered expression. Her eyes darted back to the man sprawled leisurely upon the luxurious silks. Every inch of her body was begging to be touched, savored and loved... but, not by Rune, by Erix. Despite what he did, she still wished that the body upon the bed—along with the face that smiled longingly—belonged to her beloved paladin.

Rune slowly got up, his concern and fear growing as Nevia turned her back towards him. He drew closer and noticed she was trembling. "Nevia? What's wrong?" She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the salty tears from flowing freely.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be doing this." She felt his strong hands clamp down on he shoulders. That didn't do any good. She gasped and fought back by turning around, pressing her hands firmly against his chest and shoving him back. His legs hit the edge of the bed and he fell atop the silks again.

Lying on the bed, he stared at her, blinking innocently. "What's wrong?"

Her hands twisted the coarse cloth of her skirt in frustration. Her eyes were tear-welled and wide as her gaze darted rapidly around the room like a terrified bird of prey. She felt as though everything was against her, a curse to make pain appear around every corner whenever she thought she'd find happiness. Why did Rune have to advance on her like that?

"Why are you doing this to me??!" A tear slid down her cheek.

"What?"

"Why now? Do you really think this helps me??" She backed away slowly. "I don't need this now."

Rune slowly sat up, his solemn gaze piercing through all the chaos Nevia felt within the room. "Nevia, if you didn't like the kiss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He cautiously got to his feet, making slow and fluid movements to make sure he didn't scare the sorceress anymore or pose as any threat to her. The last thing he would want is for her to fry him with a lightning bolt.

"No, please!" she cried, more tears helplessly streaming down her face. "Just leave me alone!" With that final cry, she rushed to the door, hastily threw it open and escaped. She ran back to Krysta's room, forgetting that the reason she went to Erix's room was to leave Krysta's. When she threw the door open, she found it empty. 

Upon the floor was small red puddle and one of the assassin's katars lying in the midst of it, thick red droplets dripping off the gleaming blade.. Nevia's mind instantly reeled. Where's Krysta?? She panicked, following the small trail of blood spots onto the floor towards the balcony. 

She stared at the red spots... a feeling of dread filled her body from head-to-toe. Krysta...

Could it be that Elzix had bested her?

___________________________________  
C+C appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 9)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

"No! He didn't fuck her!"

Krysta's eyes narrowed, "Are you certain?"

Elzix struggled against Krysta's strong and lithe body. His biceps were sore from being held tightly in the closed space behind each of the assassin's knees as she sat upon his chest. At the same time, he was strangely aroused at the woman's crotch area being so close to his face, but, the sight of the katar lying within a close distance to Krysta's reach upon the bed stopped him from enjoying the dominatrix atop him.

"I'm certain! I swear it!"

The assassin hesitated, unsure of what to say. As much as she wanted to believe this to be the truth for her friend's sake, it did not add up in her mind. How could it be possible? As though her skepticism was written on her face, Elzix cried out the explanation, "It's Warriv's fault! You must believe me!"

Krysta's eyes flashed angrily. _Warriv..._ she thought darkly. _That no good worm..._ Her hand flew down and grabbed a cheek, pinching it firmly with her gloved fingers. "Explain, boy..."

Fearing the dark glint in her eyes, Elzix cracked like an egg. Sentence after sentence spilled from his mouth, each word full to the brim with truth; it poured more anger into Krysta than she could bear. "No!" she hissed. "You're lying!"

Elzix paled, no longer looking like the tough ex-bandit he claimed to be. "No! It's all true! The goddess' was given to Nevia by Warriv so Erix could enjoy her, but we don't know for sure if he did! Rune then was going to screw her, but he fell asleep because of some sleeping root!"

She narrowed her eyes, "What the fuck is goddess'?" When he explained, she rolled her eyes in disbelief and slapped him for insulting her intelligence so boldly.

"I'm not lying! He told me, I swear it on the graves of my family! You can even ask Atma!"

The frosty tinge in Krysta's voice deepened. "You better be telling the truth or you will be joining your family." Her grip on his throat eased and the innkeeper inhaled deeply, savouring the incoming air. She smiled cruelly, her hand trailing down and reaching behind her towards the spot just above the apex of his thighs. That soft target lay snugly against her leather-clad buttocks.

The poor innkeeper let loose a tortured wail. He could feel the assassin's hand pressing down hard against his penis. His genitals screamed in such an exquisitely agonizing pain. To him, it felt like a million sperm crying out in unison.

Krysta watched with unrestrained glee as he writhed in pain; his head turned side-to-side as his face twisted with suffering. She wished she had removed her gloves and opene his pants to let her nails join in the fun. But, even as her hand gripped tightly around the cloth-covered genitals for an angry squeeze, her thoughts were in a knot. Something still didn't make sense to her. If what Elzix said was true, that Rune didn't sleep with Nevia and Erix had slept with Nevia, then why would Rune claim that he took Nevia's virginity? Erix could easily call him out on that lie by admitting to rape.

_But... that's impossible..._ Krysta thought. _Erix loves Nevia... and he doesn't seem like the kind of rogue that would dishonour a woman in such a fashion._ _But also, even if Rune didn't sleep with Nevia at al, Erix would have had a chance with Nevia had he not slept with Fara..._

Her hand stopped its torture.

A missing piece finally became obvious to Krysta. She had forgotten all about the wine bottle she left at the foot of the bed. She instantly turned her sharpened gaze back upon the innkeeper, who was watching her face hopefully for any sign of compassion; there was none. "What do you know about Fara and Erix doing the nasty?" She leaned in closer to him. "Do you know who's responsible for that, or do you have anything to do with it."

He gulped. "No."

A smile crossed her face. She was pleased that he chose to lie to her. "Oh, now... I don't believe you. Nevia said you brought her something... what was that?"

"I don't know."

"Lies," she charged, slowly getting off of him to retrieve the bottle.

What a mistake that was. In that instant, Elzix shoved the assassin back and reached for her discarded katar. Krysta winced as the blade nicked her arm. The drawn blood only summoned more rage within her. She angrily kicked him in the stomach then flattened him with a quick swipe at his feet.

The katar fell out of his grim and he groaned; the feeling of utter pain was burning in the back of his head. He clumsily got up to be tackled yet again by the aggressive assassin who was equipped with the wine bottle in question.

Pinning him down with all the strength she could muster, she forced the mouth of the wine bottle to the innkeeper's lips, pressing it firmly against him. "Drink!" she barked, snapping her finger at his adam's apple when he refused to swallow.

Elzix choked on the wine, feeling large amounts of the liquid burn his throat as it slid down. His eyes widened as he threw the assassin off of him. The only command his mind left for his body as he ran towards the balcony was "escape this crazy woman!" His vision and other senses were rapidly going with each step. He knew damn well that he was in trouble and, even though he tried, spitting up some of the wine proved redundant when comparing the rejected amount to the part already consumed.

Krysta was confident with the intuitive belief that the wine would knock him out, but she never expected him to drop to the floor seconds later. She was expecting his senses to gradually dull, so she obviously was surprised that he crumpled after a few steps.

"Idiot," she muttered, staring at the unconscious innkeeper with a wary affronted look. She glanced to the wine bottle and sighed. The red wine pooled on the floor near the bed and on the balcony where the frantic Elzix had spat.

She couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for the innkeeper, but at the same time, she was angry at him for the problem he had helped throw Nevia into. She hesitantly dragged his collapsed form to the balcony and propped his back against the iron twisted railing.

Crouching down in front of him, she examined him for a quiet minute while she thought of her next move. Her eyes from his mussed hair to his wine-stained shirt. _So, Rune got Elzix to knock Nevia out.... probably to rape her..._ _Why didn't he then? _She sighed, rubbing her temples in a circular motion, trying to piece everything together.

She recalled Nevia telling her that she woke up and saw Fara and Erix having sex; that really disturbed Krysta. _He knocked her out, but didn't have sex with her... or maybe he did... No, that doesn't sound right..._ She hit her forehead in attempt to kick-start her brain as she made a face with a slanted gaze towards Elzix's slack mouth. She was trying to remember what he had said. Her train of thoughts suddenly drifted to Atma and that's when it came to a screeching halt.

That's it!!!

Her thoughts scrambled frantically back to his word. "You can even ask Atma..." she mused, glancing around the room. "So... she knows about this goddess' stuff then, huh?" Mid-stride, she froze.

No... she doesn't know about it... She has it.

Everyone in Lut Gholein knew about the serving wenches in Atma's bar. For the right price given to Atma, anyone of them would be flat on their backs with their leg spreads wide... Or their bottoms up high. It all depended upon the preference of he who pays. 

Krysta chewed her bottom lip. _But what about those more reluctant?_ She had known and witnessed a few incidents at the bar, where a girl didn't want to bed a man, possibly for reasons of looks or not in the mood.' Atma offered the rebellious girl a drink, and then once the last drop was gone, she'd be literally humping the man's boots and blissfully ripping off her top before her customer eagerly carried her off to a room.

"So... Atma's responsible as well," Krysta muttered disgustedly. She suddenly thought about the mercenaries that often visited the bar. Without another word, she slowly left, leaving behind her katar—still in the middle of the pool of red wine. She didn't need it for this, all she required was her womanly charms to get more proof.

* * *

If only Nevia knew of what had gone on within Krysta's room before she arrived. Had she known, she wouldn't have been so terrified at the sight of the red liquid pools on the floor. Lost in a powerful daze drawn up by the sight of human blood, she ran out of the room, running down the narrow hall. Once again, she crashed into a man leaving his room: Rune. This time she fell on top of him; her breasts and other womanly features crushed onto the druid's body.

She blushed furiously, stammering as Rune's emerald eyes held her gaze firmly. "I, uh, I.... umm..." Jumping to her feet, she could feel her wits once again fleeing, leaving her unarmed against this man. She had forgotten what caused her to run into the hallway.

Rune quietly watched with a concerned look. In truth, he couldn't be more content at her violation of his personal space and wished that it would happen more often in the future with her under more willing circumstances. "I want to talk to you again... please."

The defiance that sometimes burned in her had apparently fled hand-in-hand with her intelligence; she followed him into the room and closed the door behind her for privacy.

Rune stalked across the sunlit room towards the balcony as he glanced over at Nevia. She stood cautiously close to the door. _Smart girl,_ he thought, half-proud and half-disappointed at their distance. He couldn't blame her though. He knew their recent talk had scared her; he came on too strong. Gentle, that was the keyword. He had to be kind, gentle and patient with her or else her fear would return and place her on full alert. That would ruin his chances with everything he longed for.

He paced back to her, unconsciously willing a soft appearance to his startling green eyes. "I want to apologize first of all. I didn't mean to frighten you." His hands shook on his mental command. He was fully aware that he needed this performance to look sincere. Perhaps some of the actions he took were real, but his fear is what prompted his thoughts to take the perspective of an actor. "Sometimes my emotions get out of control," he confessed, studying her sympathetic expression. "I can't do much about it... but I promise I'll try not to scare you anymore."

Nevia nodded with a faint and bitter smile on her lips. "I know, Rune. I remember it well."

He stopped himself from wincing. Rune knew what the sorceress was referring to; the way they were before she ran away. Not wanting to discuss such a disappointing chapter in their lives, he cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "Were you really that frightened by the kiss?"

Her cheeks pinkened. "No, the kiss was fine," she frowned when Rune's face brightened in response to her unintentional compliment. "It was the thought of Erix that made me run..." Her voice trailed as she swallowed hard and turned her eyes away.

Rune nodded, ignoring the sudden pain caused within him by his conscience. He silenced his inner-voice by convincing himself it was for the greater good. "I see..." was his response. A smile fell to his lips as he watched her, his eyes keenly studying her profile. His smile however faded once a tear spilled down her cheek. More followed as her eyes reddened.

"I really loved him..."

More than you loved me???! Rune nearly screamed out. 

Nevia's lips tightened into a straight line as she feebly fought against the tears, trying to call them back. She knew she couldn't. All she could do was weep against the pain that Erix had inflicted upon her. When she felt Rune's warm arms wrap around her and his voice whisper, "There there, in time, everything will be better," she felt thankful to have a friend like him to depend on..

* * *

"Dammit!"

His broad sword flashed out again, striking the overgrown orange insect's leg. The bug hissed angrily, spitting a green foul-smelling substance. He quickly lifted his kite shield and ducked down. The force of the poisonous spittle rattled his shield with every blow. From behind the metal protection, he could see the handle of the shield loosening.

Not good, he thought, swallowing hard and feeling the sweat trickle away from his scalp and down his broad forehead. He checked his sword and found the blade rattling just the same in its hilt. He automatically reached for his second last portal scroll and quickly chanted the memorized incantation.

A scream suddenly ripped through the air.

Erix's attention was snagged; his ears were perking up to the distressed female cry mixed with the sound of swirling winds that echoed in the dank and pungent smelling tunnels to create the portal. Beside him, a blue light grew large enough to fit one person.

Nevia!! He thought, glancing at his sword and shield with a grimace. He knew that they would not last anymore abuse. 

Springing with his feet, he quickly jumped through with his hands stretched out. His body felt weightless in that instant he flew through the swirling blue energy that was familiar with any warrior. Before his eyes, the blue hypnotic lights vanished in a snap and he found himself in Lut Gholein, still in the jump and flying towards at a dark-skinned woman.

The woman screamed as the battle-hardened paladin unintentionally tackled her. The paladin winced on behalf of the townswoman's pain. He quickly got to his feet and looked away, embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," he murmured sheepishly, feeling the eyes of other townspeople on the two. 

The woman shook her head and sighed as she got up. She walked away wordlesssly, leaving Erix to believe that what he just did was common.

Remembering the female scream he heard in the Maggot Lair, he quickly regained his composure and rushed through the small desert town, heading directly for Fara.

There she was. The woman he had betrayed Nevia with.

Fara was crouched over, busily working with her hammer, striking a long sword upon the anvil with a crushing blow from the tool. She leaned her body back with her hands resting on her lower back to stretch out the cricks. When her back felt the tension leave, she wiped her sweaty brow and returned to her labour.

"Fara!"

She raised her head, her jaw tensing. "Erix.... hey..." she greeted him awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Erix, however, skipped the formalities. "Fix these, please. It's an emergency," he pushed the shield and sword into her arms before stepping back and stripping off the metal armour. 

The blacksmith quickly set to work by assessing the damage. Her expert eye danced over the nicks, dents and cracks. She frowned. "This is going to talk awhile."

"Shit..." Erix grinded his teeth. "Just do it quickly, it doesn't have to be perfect. I have to go save Nevia."

Fara was stunned. "Nevia?" she repeated, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

The paladin quickly explained his situation and was baffled when Fara responded with an odd expression. "What?"

"I saw Nevia go into the inn awhile ago."

"You did?" Erix stared blankly as Fara nodded, thrusting his damaged equipment back into his hands. Aside from the confusion, another thought came to him. _What about the scream in the maggot lair??_

"These can wait," Fara explained softly. "Go to her."

He needed not another word uttered to set him on his way. The second he had all his belongings securely placed in his arms, he sprinted towards the inn, feeling like he was also heading to an uncertain future.

Though the inn was a small establishment, climbing those stairs felt like an eternity. It was only a small number of steps, but all Erix's actions registered slowly in his mind. Each breath was etched his memory, every swift movement of his muscles; everything was done with perfect clarity. Everything was so clear that when he hastily opened the door, shock and confusion attacked him all at once from different directions.

There stood Nevia, sharing a warm embrace with Rune. The sorceress' head was leaned against the muscular wall of the druid's chest, facing the side as though she meant to press her ear to his skin to hear the faint beating of his heart. Around her shoulders, Rune's arms were wound securely, obviously not wanting to let go of the created moment. But... they had little choice.

"Nevia!" His glowering eyes however were focused on the cunning druid.

She lifted her head away as Rune's embrace loosened enough for her to step back. "Erix..." her voice trailed and her gaze fell to the floor. The druid's jaw clenched as he kept a straight face, not wanting his expression to change to give away the truth.

The paladin cared naught for the druid's reaction, only the emotion that was displayed upon Nevia's angelic face. Her features were full of sorrow and disappointment. That only accentuated her reddened and puffy eyes. As Erix's eyes traveled down, he could see her throat move with every nervous swallow and her fists clenched tightly. She was steeling herself against the rising wave of frustration and anger at her betrayer.

Erix glared angrily at Rune. "You made her cry." Not a question, more like a death sentence.

The druid rolled his eyes. "Idiot." That was a fact that Nevia would easily agree with.

"He didn't make me cry." Nevia muttered in an uneven voice. She took a deep breath, still refusing to look Erix in the eyes. "You did."

A sense of dread washed over him. All he could do to fight that wave was say: "I need to talk to you." It wasn't really a question, more of an order. His demanding tome made Nevia's anger and hurt burn brighter. Her brown stare turned on him with an eerie predatory feel.

"I've nothing to say to you." Her face was streaked with tears and her lower lip trembled with every word. She delicately bit down on it to temporarily cease its rapid movement.

"Nevia... please, just hear me out," he pleaded. He did not like the way she held him in her gaze. His eyes quietly followed her as she backed away from Rune and moved to stand by the bed. Strangely enough, Rune hadn't said another word... yet.

"Why should she hear you out?" Rune spat fiercely. "Especially since she knows about you and Fara. "

Erix paled, swallowing the lump forming in his throat due to the guilt and nervousness. His skin went cold as he continued to have his gaze fixed upon the woman. "Nevia... please, let me explain. This will only take a few minutes." She said nothing. Erix pleaded again, this time, adding a promise. "Just hear me out, and I'll never bother you again. I swear it."

She cocked her head in his direction with a sudden flash in her eyes. "Fine then, you got five minutes."

Rune was stunned at her sudden acceptance. "Nevia, why the hell should you even listen to a word this fiend has to say? He deserves no second chance!"

Her lips twitched. "I said I'd hear him out. I never said I'd give him another chance," she replied scornfully, her eyes absorbing every inch of Erix's hurt expression. She looked into Rune's eyes and reached for his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze before he turned his gaze to the paladin, his eyes sweeping up and down over the damaged battle gear.

"You want that repaired?" the druid suddenly offered.

Erix glanced over at Rune, surprised. "Uh, yeah, thanks..." W

With the paladin's belongings in his arms, the door closed behind the druid and all that was left in the room's air was a thick and unsettling silence. The tension between the two was so intense that if a lantern had been lit between them, the air would burst into flames. Nevia was the first to break the mute war. "Well? I can't hear you out unless you have something to say," she commented acidly, her left eyebrow arching up.

"I've been thinking about you a lot—"

"—What a shame. You haven't crossed my mind at all," she fibbed callously. It was an obvious lie. Erix knew that it was an attack, but he could only accept it.

"Yes, well..." he hesitated. "I'm sorry. I guess Rune told you about Fara..." He sighed. He couldn't believe that Nevia had to hear it from Rune instead of from his own mouth. "She means nothing to me, Nevia. I swear it."

Nevia scowled. "I didn't hear it from Rune. I didn't have to anyway... I heard it from you."

"What?"

She frowned. "I was on the balcony the whole time." She turned her back to him, not wanting him to see the tears welling in her eyes. "I heard you tell Fara you love her." She paused with an involuntary shudder. A deep breath past her lips as she tried to steady her voice. "I heard everything..."

Another lump formed in his throat. He slowly walked towards her, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. She immediately shrugged it off, "Don't touch me."

"Nevia," Erix's hand fell to his side. "I'm really sorry."

"You probably weren't even going to tell me..." she sighed. "I never thought you'd be the kind of person to think only of saving your own hide."

Anxiety struck him full in the chest. "Don't say such things," he argued. "Yes, I admit, I really didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you—"

"—But you did." She cut in with a glare.

He clenched his jaw. "Yes, I did, and I'm sorry. I can't stand to see you hurt. I'd rather die than have you look at me like that."

Nevia bit down on her tongue to stop herself from saying Then die.' She looked him up and down, a disapproving glint in her eyes. "There you go again, thinking only of yourself."

Erix sighed, his hand scratching at the short dark locks at the top of his head. "I've been thinking of you this whole time." He shook his head. "I've been running through the desert the last few hours searching for you. When I finally got to the maggot lair, I thought you were in danger. I think only of you, Nevia."

She turned her eyes on him, confused. "Why would you think I was in danger?"

* * *

Rune stared at Erix's equipment, his fingers tracing the damaged sword hilt and shield handle. He turned over to Elzix, "You think you can make it look as though it were fixed?" He smiled smugly to himself as the rough features of Elzix's face paled.

"But, Rune..." Elzix sputtered. "That might be dangerous."

His hands running through the armour and belt, Rune smiled as he removed the small town portal tome. "Might be?" he echoed with a scoff. He quietly pocketed the blue and gold book, smiling contentedly like a cat that just ate a pack of feisty rats. "It damn well IS dangerous. That's why I'm asking you to do it."

Elzix stared disapprovingly at the druid. "You're crazy. I won't do it."

The druid's thick and bristly eyebrow arched. "You what?" His tone was usually what made the ex-bandit leader cower in fear, but Elzix miraculously stood his grounds. "No," he repeated thickly. "I won't do it."

Rune's harsh gaze bore down into the innkeeper, expecting him to give in any moment.But Elzix didn't. "You're one crazy son of a bitch, Rune," he spat. "You love Nevia, huh? Don't lie to her then. You're manipulating her! Your manipulating them all!" He grunted, turning away. "I damn well should've told them what was going on. If I did, they'd jump down your throat without--" He stopped with a gasp. He could feel the cold sharp point of a dirk pressing against the tender skin of his nape.

"You'll do nothing," Rune hissed. "Dammit, you have no idea what you're talking about." The druid was irritated with the innkeeper's audacity to dare tell him, yes, _him, _what's is and isn't love. "You have no idea what love is! Any man would've done what I did. If they didn't, they obviously don't love her or want her as much as I do! And I'm sure as hell not going to regret or apologize for my actions! So you shut up, just shut the hell up and do what you're told or by some strange force, a volcano will appear and burn your inn to the ground!"

Elzix swallowed nervously. Rune hit him right where it hurt. His inn was what turned him away from his old days of thieving. For him, it was his path away from the dark and uncertain future. "Alright..."

* * *

Another sigh escaped him as he explained all the events that he had went through until now. "And I heard a scream back there, but, obviously, it wasn't you." Erix's features quickly paled once Nevia's anger became more obvious. He thought for sure his ordeal, she'd at least try to be more open.

"And you left??!" she hissed.

"What?"

Nevia shook her head, eyes blazing. "You heard someone in need of help, and you LEFT them!" She folded her arms across her chest. "You are a paladin, dammit. You're a holy warrior; you're meant to protect people."

He gritted his teeth. "I had no choice, I told you that before. Had I stayed, I would've died!"

"What's stopping you from going now?" she replied stiffly. "Besides, a paladin's life is SUPPOSED to be risked for the safety of others!"

Erix winced. She sounded just like his old mentor back when he began to feel a bit of compassion to the Paladins of Zakarum. "And how would you react? How would you feel had I died there?"

She turned away with a shrug. "That's not the issue here. Go back to the maggot lair."

"Nevia..." he started.

"—I have nothing more to say to you...ever. So I suggest you go back to the lair before you soil the reputation of Paladins even more," she hastily replied, turning to him with an arrogant air. "Unless that's what you really want."

"No," he sighed, his hand curling into a tight fist. He was fighting the impulse to grab her shoulders, shake such nonsense out of her before taking her into his arms and onto the floor. Miraculously, that idea died down as he slowly headed towards the door. His hand touched the wooden handle and the door creaked on its hinges. "All I really want is you..."

The door closed and Nevia's nails dug into her palm to stop her from screaming for him to come back. Her knees weak, she sat down on the edge of the bed, tightly gripping the sheets of the bed. The ice around her heart, which she created when Erix was in the room, had instantly melted and surfaced as salty tears.


	10. Chapter 10

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 10)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

An arousal-weakened grunt escaped from the clenched ivory and yellow spotted teeth of the large burly mercenary as Krysta smiled to herself.

There in the empty room within the stone building that had been designated as the mercenary headquarters, stood Greiz, tied by silk and satin ribbons to a pole in the middle of the room. The pale lavender ribbons were wound tightly around his naked and muscular form, weaving around his wrists, knees, elbows; perfectly locking him to the metal column. His dark and short wild hair was messed and his forehead shined from the dappled moisture of light sweat.

Krysta was dressed in the normal black leather getup body suit gathered around her waist with the crotch piece open to display her heavy breasts. She sat back on the makeshift couch of boxes and cushions with her upper body tilted forward to give the strong mercenary a sinfully temptingly good view of her body.

"You like what you see?" she purred seductively, her glove-less hands lifting a soft and delectable breast. She arched her back, pressing back further into the soft cushions as she winked seductively at him.

Even though she currently wasn't looking the man's face, she knew that it was impossible for him to tear his eyes away from her body. And she was right. Greiz's eyes remained glued to her. He held his breath in as his mind furiously spun images of animalistic delights.

"So..." Krysta slowly stood back up and walked to him sensuously. "I heard you were at Atma's when Erix and Fara were there. Is that right?"

He nodded eagerly, licking his desert dry and cracked lips. "Yeah.... God, you're so beautiful."

She smiled. "Yes, well, I want you tell me everything." Her hand lowered to her body as her eyes sparkled mischeivously, her hand squeezing gently. "Tell me all, and I'll give you what you want." Her hand curved lower as she dropped to her knees.

Greiz leaned his head back against the pole as he anticipated the feel of heaven... but instead greeted hell. WIth a metallic sounding swish of air being sliced, his eyes nearly bugged out at the sight of Krysta's katar (in her hand) dangerously close to his most precious body part.

"Tell me, Greiz," she licked her lip, delicately placing her right index finger on her chin. "Did you notice anything strange?"

He paused then shook his head. "Not really, they were drunk just like most people." He struggled against his bonds again, testing its reliability. She definitely knows her knots... he thought bitterly, yearning to break free, pin her down and plunge himself straight into her feminine core.

Well, Krysta thought. That doesn't say much... She sighed. "And how long were they there?" 

"...uh... just a few minutes."

Her eyebrow arched. "A little strange for people to be smashed that quickly, don't you think?"

Greiz paused, unsure of what she was getting at, but understanding it completely. He had often seen Fara at the bar, but never completely intoxicated. She could handle her alcohol well and, even after, she could perfectly fix a sword regardless of how many drinks she downed. "Yeah, it is."

"Anything else you remember?"

He paused. "Yeah... That guy she was with—"

"Erix." Krysta supplied.

"Yeah, the paladin. He kept calling her something weird and was saying he loved her and stuff."

"Oh?" the assassin immediately straightened up, her ears perking at the juicy bit of information. "What do you mean?"

"He called her Nevo' or Naya.' Something weird like that."

Krysta's fingers turned cold and she stared him in the eyes with an intense look. "Could it have been Nevia' ?"

He paused before nodding with a chuckle. "Yeah, it might as well have been... What kind of fool would call a woman by a different woman's name?" He shook his head. "He's just lookin' for troubles with the ladies."

Krysta smiled. That was proof enough. She summed up the events in her mind. _Warriv drugged Nevia for Erix--did he make love to her though? ... No idea. Rune took the initiative later on, however, according to Elzix, failed to complete the deed... but Nevia and Erix believes that Rune and Nevia made love. ...Nevia and Erix were on the verge of reconciliation, so Rune sought to destroy that chance, with the help of Elzix and Atma. Nevia saw Erix banging Fara the blacksmith and that leave a broken-hearted Nevia nowhere to run except into the arms of Rune..._

Settling back to reality in the room, she stepped closer to Greiz and firmly pressed her lips against his, letting her tongue flick across his lips before they opened to accept her. Their tongues danced furiously in a battle that seemed to sway in Greiz's favor. Krysta did not like that one bit and retaliated. Greiz suddenly yelped, feeling Krysta's hand grasping one of his muscular buttocks in her hand and giving it a rough squeeze. Pain veined out from his sore bottom as Krysta laughed mirthfully. Greiz's arms tensed as he fought against the silk ribbons that kept him captive.

"Good God woman!" he roared. "What are you doing?"

Krysta rose to her full height and leaned forward, allowing the bare flesh of her bosom press against him. Now that she was done her interrogation, she decided a little cruelty was in order. "I'm doing whatever I want," She flicked a glance towards the hardened source of his pain with a dark chuckle. "Do you have a problem with that... slave?" She clenched her teeth on the last word, making her empowerment obvious to poor Greiz.

She leaned her head towards his neck again, this time sliding her hard teeth against his skin, nipping the rough tanned flesh without any concern for the mercenary. "Don't act like you don't enjoy this..." she laughed, her hands trailing down his body none to gently. She smiled in forced innocence as she gave his bare bottom a playful slap before pressing her lips reverently to his forehead.

Greiz's eyes narrowed and his voice boomed, "Woman, do you know who I am?! Release me at once or I'll have your ass!!"

"My ass?" she repeated, rolling her eyes. "Why, Greiz... I had no idea you preferred that." She smiled menacingly. With that, she raked her nails down his abdome, causing Greiz to wince from the burning sting of four lines left upon his muscular belly. She could see his arms tensing, his forearms flexing with every scrape. With another throaty laugh, Krysta pinched the fleshy part of his inner thigh. Greiz yelped.

"Oooo..." she murmured. "I like that sound.... Again!" She pinched the leg, her nails of the thumb and index finger getting into the act.

Greiz bit down on his tongue, refusing to give the sadistic assassin any satisfaction. "I will get you for this," he uttered through tightly pursed lips..

"Oh..." she pouted. "How? Gonna break free and try to screw me?" She paused. "Or turn me over your knee and spank me till I cry?" She laughed shaking her head. 

Greiz glared at her, tempted to speak his mind that he'd brutally fuck her until she could no longer walk and strike her ass until she could never sit down again. He didn't need to say it at all though; the words were written on his face.

Krysta's mouth twitched in amusement. "So... you DO want to bang me? Hmph.... You know, I was gonna to leave you alone right now... but," she smiled. "I think that bit of rudeness deserves five more minutes." She hesitated slightly, thinking about Nevia, Rune and Erix. _Five minutes won't make too much of a difference, right? They'll still be there,_ she reasoned with herself.

"You bitcht!" Greiz snarled, his eyes burned with rage. "I'll kill you!"

"Hm, what a naughty mouth," she smiled cruelly. "If I had more minutes to spare, I'd punish you properly... but, we'll have to do this the quick and incredibly painful way." With that, she gripped her hand tightly around his throbbing penis while her other hand roughly raked its nails down his lightly-haired chest.

I should've kept my damn mouth shut, Greiz thought with a groan, wincing as he felt the pain prior to blood being drawn.

***

In the hallway, Erix pressed his palm against the closed door. He steeled himself against every instinct to kick the door open again, rush to Nevia, gather her in his arms and kiss her until she understood how he felt and forgave him. All that stopped him doing so was the hurt upon Nevia's face. The hurt that HE caused.

Walking down the hall and to the stairs, Erix felt as though a hook had sunk into his heart and, with each step, pulling ever so furiously as he bled. Nevia's order to follow his duty as a paladin kept him going. Had he been given the choice, he would be in Atma's bar, getting sloshed out of his gourd until he was reduced to tears.

His eyes turned up from the dusty ground towards the druid, holding his armour and weapons out. Rune's face was a tanned mask of serenity, feeling some sympathy towards the paladin.

Erix geared himself up with slow movements, glancing over longingly at the second floor of the inn. He glanced over at Elzix suddenly and asked, "How much do you I owe you?"

"W-w-what?" he stammered, paling.

"For staying. How much?"

"Oh...uh..." Elzix lowered his eyes to the floor, suddenly seeming fascinated by the bits of desert dirt. "It's alright, just forget it..... Sorry, Erix."

"Nothing to be sorry for," he shrugged him off and heavily walked down the paths, back towards his town portal.

You have no idea what I'm sorry for... Elzix though bitterly as he watched Erix walk away. He glanced to the druid's face. Rune's mask had broken off into a victorious smile.

Elzix scowled. "Bastard..." he muttered under his breath. "How could you do that to Nevia?"

He frowned. "I have my reasons."

"Stupidity? Selfishness? Jealousy, perhaps???" Elzix retorted.

"Hey, you shut up," Rune snarled, turning on to the innkeeper with burning eyes. "A shit like you couldn't even begin to understand!"

"Understand what?" Elzix refused to back down. He was too outraged to even consider silence. "That this is how you show you care for Nevia??! You're a real piece of work, Rune. I never thought anyone in this world could be such a dumbass... and this says a lot coming from me!"

Rune clenched his fists. The innkeeper was the fool. How dare he try to insist what he did was wrong? It was for the better good! "You shut the hell up. You don't know Erix's kind like I would. He'd abandon Nevia, he would, I know it, I've seen it happen before."

"Not Erix."

"So what?" Rune shot back. "A paladin is devoted to only one person... no, not even person. They're devoted to their God. You got that? If suddenly God summoned him for some," he shook his head with a laugh, "holy mission, Erix would drop Nevia and rush to his duty. I know men of that ilk. Nevia deserves better. She deserves someone who would never abandon her!"

Elzix scoffed. "You just gave Erix a death sentence. Broken armour, broken weapons and no town portal scrolls is just that! You're not good for Nevia! She deserves an _honourable _man."

Rune's green gaze narrowed. "I am," he replied confidently. "So what if I sent Erix to his death? It'd be a lot easier for Nevia to forget him this way! It would be better! Who needs an honourable man??! An honourable man would listen to a woman send him away!! I will never let her down. I wouldn't leave her even if she begged me to. I would never let her die!"

Elzix stared at him, confused. Somehow, he had hit a nerve. "Who said anything about sending someone away?"

Rune swallowed a lump in his throat, catching himself. "I meant that I would take up arms and protect her no matter the cost."

"Well... I am not yours to protect," Nevia's voice suddenly broke in.

Rune whirled around. There, a few feet behind him stood Nevia and Krysta. The sorceress' jaw was clenched tightly with a mixed horror and sadness. The assassin, on the other hand, was brandishing her katar's with murderous smile.

"How long have you been standing there?" Rune nervously asked.

"Since So what if I sent Erix to his death?'" she shook his head at him. "Rune, how could you? You lied about everything..." She frowned. "You deceived me..."

"By the way," Krysta quipped up. "I told her everything." She winked at Elzix, "Thanks, love."

Rune turned to roar at Elzix, but, being the sly one, the innkeeper had already scurried away to safety. "Elzix! Elzix! Where are you, you bastard?" He growled to himself. "I should have left him to die in the inn!" He was furious, he had purchased several healing potions to stop Elzix's bleeding, and this is how that sneaky rat repays him.

Nevia quickly turned to Krysta, "We have to go get Erix, now."

The assassin couldn't agree more. "I know," she paused. "I'm really sorry... had I gotten here earlier, none of this would have happened."

"No, don't apologize for it. Please, just go to the maggot lair and send me a portal when you get there."

"Gotcha," with that, Krysta departed.

The young sorceress' gaze turned back to the druid. "Rune.... that was really horrible what you did. I love Erix, you knew that!"

Rune stepped forward to cup Nevia's cheek, but she pulled away. "Don't touch me!"

"Nev, I love you."

She frowned, "You love me? Hmph.... if you love me, you wouldn't have had to trick me like that!!!"

"Dammit, Nev, I know you more than he does! I need you more than him. If any man hadn't done what I did, then it's obvious they don't want you enough! You're the only person I could ever want. I did this for your sake. For OUR sake!"

She scowled, walking down the path with Rune following her. "How dare you use love as an excuse!"

"Nevia, have you ever felt truly in love??" Rune explained quickly, desperate not to lose her. He cut her off once her mouth opened. He knew she was going to bring up her feelings for Erix. "The kind of love that's beyond the point of madness?? I love you, Nevia! Don't you get it?" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close. He felt a pain in his chest when he felt her body tense from his touch. "I feel like I'm dying without you! I'd gladly take whatever sins upon my head than let someone else have you!" He clenched his fists. "I love you so much... I can't lose you again."

Nevia lifted her hands to his chest and firmly pushed him away. "Rune... what you said before... about protecting me..." She glanced up at him sympathetically. "That doesn't sound like love.... do you understand what I'm talking about?"

He swallowed nervously, his hands going clammy. "No..."

She sighed. "You lost someone, Rune," she shook her head. "You don't love me...I've always known that."

Rune stared at her incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous. That has nothing to do with—"

"It has everything to do with this," she interrupted him mid-speech. She touched his cheek gently. "Listen Rune, you don't love me... maybe you think you do. I'm not—"

"—Don't say it," Rune quickly cut in, his voice heavy with mixed emotions as he faced her. "I know you're not her, ok?" His gaze bore down deeply into soul. "I love you, Nevia."

"No, you don't," she reasoned, desperate to make him face reality. "You want to protect me. You're scared... that isn't love! You can't use me to atone for what happened in the past."

"Don't talk to me like I don't know what love is... I've loved you since the first time I saw you. I wanted to protect you. I didn't want you to change at all.. You are so beautiful and innocent as you are! The world would be cruel to you if you had no one to protect you the way I do!"

"The world isn't cruel to me," Nevia replied thinly. "Only misguided people like you are."

Rune winced and a blue light suddenly grew a few feet away from Nevia. She shielded her eyes and stared at the magnificently bright swirling portal, her path back to Erix.

Rune turned panicky. "Nevia... don't go. I love you. Please, try to understand that I don't want to lose you..."

She faced the portal with a saddened smile, taking her first step to the light. "...Good-bye, Rune. I hope you find someone else that can put your ghosts to rest."

***

Huff.... huff.... huff...

Shfff....shffff...shfff...

Erix's breath came out in hard gasps as he ran through the tunnels. He was cursing loudly, the words graphic enough to corrupt a priest. Behind him, in the narrow and pungent-smelling tunnels were a large angry group of maggots. Their orange bodies scurried furiously after the smell of human flesh and blood. They were hungry to rip their pincers into his limbs and feast upon him.

Their agile legs trampled over the broken pieces of his sword and shield with metal clangs. Each step of every following maggot pushed the broken armour deeper into the floor of the sand tunnels.

Erix quickly darted around a corner, terrified for his life. Further down the tunnel, he could see a connection into three other ones. _Perfect! _He thought in frustration while still running. _Where the hell do I go??!_

His nightmare suddenly got worse. From one of the tunnels emerged a large mother rock maggot. He stared in horror at the grey hissing insect, already spitting venom at him.

He dodged the liquid shot, his back pressing against the wall as he watched it shoot across the tunnel and dissolve into the sand. Behind him, he could hear the mob of insects with their haunting insect-screeches.

The paladin knew he was trapped. All he had to defend himself was a dirk he had found along the way, his auras and the armour that was barely hanging together on his form. He stared nervously at the rock maggot as it cautiously started for him.

Erix quickly concentrated on a defensive aura as he held up his dirk and thrust it at the rock maggot. The blade imbed itself right between the horrific creature's pincers. Blood oozed out of the injury, tinting the blade with spots of red. The maggot squealed in agony, writhing around as Erix desperately tried to pull the weapon out.

He failed.

The rock maggot backed away, the dirk still lodged between its sharp pincers. Its painful cry echoed through the tunnels. As if on cue, from the sand, four loyal baby rock maggots appeared to protect its mother.

Erix glanced over his shoulder. The approaching orange mob was in sight... He clenched his fists tightly. He had to fight this out no matter what. His mind turned to find its solace with Nevia.... he quickly shook his head free of her. 

He did not want to die with her on his mind... the only vision of her left in his mind was of her tears. He stared directly at the angry razor-sharp pincers coated with venom that would seep into his blood if bitten hard enough.

God... I don't want to die! he thought as a final prayer.


	11. Chapter 11

Diablo 2: Longing to be with you (Chapter 11)  
By Amethyst Haze

*** 

Disclaimer: I do not own Diablo II, its concepts, its designs or anything else related to it. Those are the property of Blizzard Entertainment, this story is simply a non-profit tribute and parody. This story is Rated R for moments of sexual content, offensive language and violence.

Amethyst Haze's comments: If this story sounds EXTREMELY familiar to you.... then you've read the original fanfic as the NC-17 version when it was under my old pen name. I will not be writing like that anymore. 

*** 

"Nevia!" Krysta yelled, her voice echoing through the tunnels of the first floor of the complex maggot lair tunnels. 

Between the sound of the quickened steps of her feet and ragged breath, Krysta heard Nevia's voice call back, "Yeah, I'm here! Keep looking for him!"

The assassin's eyes darted around, trying to see in the dim light. "Erix!!" she called out.

"Where are you, Erix??" Nevia's voice then replied in echo to the assassin's. "Erix!!!!"

While running, Nevia's foot suddenly caught in something. She tripped, falling face first into the coarse sand with a cry.

"Ugh..." she glanced down at her foot. Her boot had caught onto the pincers of a dead sand maggot. She shuddered, pulling her foot free and ignoring the stench of the oozing poison that dirtied her boots. "Gross..." She quickly got back to her feet and concentrated on her lightning magicks, specifically teleportation.

Zsssh! Nevia reappeared in another section of the tunnels. "Erix?"

She tried again, moving further away from Krysta. Zsssh! "Erix, you here? ....no..."

Zsssh! "Nope."

Zsssh! "Damn."

Zsssh! "No."

Zsssh! "Still nothing... Erix!!!"

"Nevia!!!!" Krysta called out, her voice booming through the tunnels. "Get over here!!!"

"Coming!! She cried back, her heart hopeful with the thought of Erix. Zsssh! Zsssh! Zsssh! Zsssh!

Zsssh! "Erix?" Krysta jumped back when Nevia suddenly appeared before her with a crackle of electricity. Her heart froze in terror and she instantly lifted her dangerous katars to lunge at Nevia. The sorceress quickly held up her hands, "Hey! It's me!"

"God!" Krysta hissed, still recovering from her shock "I really wish you'd just search on foot like a normal person would!"

Nevia frowned, "We have to find Erix quickly though! It's better this way."

"Alright fine, but, you didn't find anything, did you?"

She shook her head sadly, "No, not even a live maggot."

Krysta's eyebrows furrowed, "I thought so. Same thing with me." She nodded forward and Nevia looked in that direction. Before them was a burrowed hole deeper into the earth, darker than the present level they were on. 

"I'm guessing that Erix already passed through here," Nevia mused loudly, a concerned expression crossing her delicate face. "It explains why we haven't been attacked by any of the maggots."

Krysta nodded, "Indeed," She glanced uneasily at the tunnel leading down. Secretly, she feared that Erix was already dead. If he had found the Queen maggot, there was no doubt in her mind that he would not have lasted two minutes against her with his tampered equipment.

Nevia fearlessly stepped forward, "Let's go."

***

Blood dripped around his arms as he fell to the ground. He turned his face away from the sand to stare up at six remaining maggots. I'm done for, he thought weakly with a horrified stare.

Erix had spent the last moments of his life fighting to stay alive. He desperately swung his metal plated arms, kicked and shoved at every attacking maggot. He even switched his auras between holy freeze and defense when he managed to sneak by one of them to run. In the end, he had been cornered and was now waiting to be the dinner of the vile creatures.

He closed his eyes, Nevia... Even though he told himself before not to think of her, he really had no say in the matter. His mind found its solace in her warm smiling face and the fading dream of being with her... forever.

"Hey!!!"

Erix twitched. He could've sworn he heard someone yelling. He drifted back to the dream. There he lay upon a soft bed with Nevia asleep in his arms. If only such a thing could happen. He could picture the sun's rays streaming in through the window, spreading across the blankets and warming their skin beneath. His eyes would sweep over Nevia's innocent expression, the one she always wore when fast asleep. That innocent look... that's what he wanted to remember with his last thought and breath within the mortal realm. The sunbeams he pictured were starting to dim much like the hopes of 'forever' with the woman he loved.

"I said, Hey!!!'" the voice yelled again. "Is someone there??"

Nevia!! He tensed, the pincers of the maggot inches away from his face. "YES!!! Help!!"

In that instant, a white hot flash of lightning illuminated the tunnels, blasting into the remaining maggots with an incomparable fury. Blood flowed from the electric-caused wounds upon the creatures. They didn't even get a moment to scream in pain. They lay motionless on the sand drenched from their blood mixed with Erix's.

Erix slowly lifted himself to his knees and weakly turned towards the voice. He shielded his eyes from the bright lantern carried. The silhouette he was obviously female. "Nevia..." he murmured before collapsing into the sand again.

***

Krysta glanced around nervously. The smell of blood, she recognized it anywhere. Turning her eyes to Nevia, she saw the pale expression she wore and knew that Nevia recognized it as well. She continued walking, the length in her strides shrinking out of fear. What if Erix was already dead? No, she thought, swallowing away her negativity. That can't be it... it just can't.

Nevia's hand suddenly shot out and grasped Krysta's wrist. The assassin stopped, turning to her quizzically. Nevia's eyes were wide, staring in disbelief at the ground. "What is it?" The assassin's eyes followed to Nevia's source of shock.

Lying on the ground was the hilt of a broken sword stained with blood. The more disturbing item was the bent and handle-less kite shield a discarded a few feet away. There were large bumps, dents, obviously made by not-so-gentle attacks.

Drawn to Erix's belongings, Nevia sank to her knees and picked up the shield. She ran her slim fingers over the metal, delving into the dents, cleaning off the flecks of blood and stopping at the moist and thick green liquid clinging to it.

Poison. More specifically, a sand or rock maggot's poison.

Picking up the broken sword, Krysta slowly touched Nevia's shoulder, realizing that they were shaking uncontrollably. "Nevia..." 

A sob escaped Nevia as she turned to her friend and buried her face in her leather-clad shoulder. She took the broken, though still sharp, sword from her and tucked it into her belt with a gasping sob. She felt Krysta's arms go around her trembling shoulder's to comfort the woman. Krysta's remained stoic to push away her emotions in order to be strong for the sorceress. Really, her heart was breaking.

Louder sobs came from Nevia as she tried to speak, "It's n-not... fair..." she sobbed between gasps. Her nails dug frantically into her friend's leather armor. "Damn it!" Her cry echoed throughout the dark and stifling tunnels. Little bits of rock and soil loosened from the top of the tunnels, raining lightly to the bottom.

A sharp cry echoed through the tunnels, sending a shiver from base to neck through Krysta's spine. She didn't like that sound. More little unsettling, inhuman, sputtering sounds followed. What is that? she thought, glancing down worriedly at the still-sobbing sorceress.

Krysta's instinct suddenly went off kilter. Danger!!! her assassin's intuition screamed, sending every hair of her body standing in fright. Her heart was beating in a riot-like rhythm as she pushed Nevia out of her arms and stood up. There was another sound... a faint rumbling. Within seconds, it was getting louder... and louder.... and worst of all, drawing nearer.

"Shit!" she cursed, grabbing Nevia's forearm and dragging her to her feet as she ran. Nevia's wobbly legs followed along as she stared at her panicked friend.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered.

Krysta's eyes went round as she glanced back at her friend... no, not at her friend, but past her. Several meters behind her (and gaining) was an angry mob of rock maggots. They charged after them with a vengeance. What terrified her more, was the loud angry cries she could hear torn from their evil bodies in unison. It chilled her to the marrow.

Finally glancing back, Nevia cried out in shock. Is this what killed you, Erix? God... how scared you must've been.

The assassin's gloved hand tightened on Nevia's arm as a burst of energy shot through her and she sprinted faster. Yet, despite the gain in speed, she still could not shake off the furious bugs. What concerned her more was the blank look in the sorceress' eyes. She didn't like it, not one bit. And, if she knew Nevia as well as she did, she could bet her life that Nevia was up to something desperate.

Then it happened. Nevia broke free of Krysta's grip, turned towards the incoming maggots and stared at them fearlessly with her arms wide open, ready to embrace death.

"What the hell??" Krysta body awkwardly screeched to a halt. "You stupid idiot!" She frantically dashed toward her friend, furious and nigh spitting sparks. Faster! her body cried as her hand fumbled with a town portal scroll. The maggots were near. She could smell the pungent poison and it made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Erix..." Nevia murmured, closing her eyes. She felt an arm tighten around her waist. Her eyes flew open and she struggled against Krysta's strength. "Let me go!"

"No way!" she hissed, using the scroll with a quick glance n' toss before throwing herself, along with Nevia, into the portal, but not before feeling a sharp bite of a maggot's pincer's into her right thigh.

The blue lights of the portal died and, before her eyes, Lut Gholein streets were busy with life. Even then, Krysta still held on firmly to her friend, refusing to let go.

"You can let go of me now!" she cried angrily, her eyes shooting daggers.

Krysta complied with a grunt. "That was incredibly stupid, Nev."

"I don't care!" Her eyes dropped as tears quickly welled then spilled. "I've lost Erix! Don't you get it???! You know damn well how it feels to lose someone you love!!!"

The assassin said nothing. Her words knifed into her, striking a painful chord within her soul.

Nevia shook her head, tears still clinging to her face. "It's not fair! It's my fault! I should be the one to die, not him! He was a good person."

"Nevia..."

The sorceress quickly pulled out the broken hilt of Erix's abused sword. Blood was still fresh upon it and, the part of the blade left upon it, was still noticeably sharp. The glimmer of the blade in the light quickly caught Krysta's attention.

"No!" she shouted, darting forward and frantically trying to wrestle the sword out of Nevia's hands.

"Krysta! Please! Just let me be done with!!"

The assassin frowned, baring her teeth as she held the broken hilt away from the desperate woman. "No! I can't let you do that!" Nevia's eyes flashed with a plan, but before Krysta could react, the sorceress started chanting.

She recognized the spell immediately... a glacier orb. Moving with lightning quick grace, she darted over to the entrance of Atma's bar, picked up a clay pot and smashed it over Nevia's head. The sorceress' dark eyes opened wide before she crumpled to the ground. 

Krysta sighed, tucking the broken hilt into her belt. "I'm sorry, but you left me no choice."

***

Carrying her up the stairs proved to be the most difficult task of all within the past few days. It wasn't that Krysta was weak, it was because she was tired. Running around the desert then fleeing from the rampaging maggots proved to be quite tiring, as well as a good form of exercise. What better motivation is there to run with other than away from death?

As she opened the door to Nevia's room, her eyes caught sight of a male figure, seated upon the bed. This man was shirtless while dressing his wounds and drinking a potion, but more importantly, this man was Erix.

"You're alive!" she gasped and, out of surprise, dropped Nevia on the floor with a loud thwop. "Oh shit!" She dipped down to pick Nevia up again and carefully carry her over to the bed as Erix made way for her.

"Yeah, well, don't bury me yet then.... Do I know you?" Erix stared at her, puzzled and irritated. Who exactly was this woman, and why did she have to drop Nevia like that? More importantly, he thought. How does she know me?

"Uh, not really..." she lowered her head sheepishly as she propped a pillow behind Nevia's unconscious head. "I'm Krysta, I'm an old friend of Nevia's... Uhm..."

Erix glanced over at the broken hilt of the sword tucked into her belt. It was his sword... well, it looked like the remains of his sword. "That's mine, right?"

"Yeah, we found your stuff in the maggot lair, we thought you were dead."

***

"It's your fault!" A voice hissed venomously into her ear.

In the darkness, Nevia spun around in mid-air uncontrollably. "What??!" she cried, desperately reaching her arms out into the black to find something to hold onto; she found nothing. 

Her mind was full of chaos. What to do? She had no idea. Where was she? A question she had no answer to. Only a voice was her companion, a dark, inhuman voice.

"You never listened," it sneered again.

"No!" she cried, her head feeling painfully light from the dizziness swarming her mind. She felt sick. She wanted to expel her stomach contents and found herself unable to. "Go away!"

"You're hopeless... hopeless.... hopeless..."

***

"So that's it..." Erix muttered, his hands clenched at his side. He flicked a look over at Nevia's sleeping form then to the balcony's gusting drapes. "I should kill Rune..."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Krysta stood up from being perched on the corner of the bed. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she sighed. "However, I get the feeling that Nevia would be mad at you if you did."

Erix frowned, "I swear, that woman is too good to be real."

Smiling with a nod, Krysta softly laughed. "Yeah, a little too dramatic at times."

"What do you mean?"

The assassin hesitated. Should I really tell him that she wanted to kill herself? ....No, I can't do that.

Thinking quickly, she looked up at him and flashed her most annoyed look. "Why did you go to the maggot lairs in the first place?"

"I thought Nevia was there... I followed some footprints there." He chuckled, a masculine blush running across his face. "Wrong person though, but lucky for me, Avery hadn't left and—"

"What?!! Did you say Avery?" A hopeful light shone within her soul again.

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Really?? Avery?" she asked again, still unable to believe her luck.

"Yes, really," he looked puzzled. "You know her?" 

She gave no answer and just quickly darted out of the room, leaving Erix blinking with Nevia wrapped in his arms. He glanced down at her angelic face as his hand brushed the stray strands of hair away from her mouth.

***

Erix held his breath as Nevia's eyelids fluttered and her hand clenched his own. Her lips parted and her voice, dry, muttered, "No.." 

A sigh of relief escaped the paladin. For one entire day she had been asleep. He even voiced his concern to Krysta, demanding to know what she had done to Nevia. When he learned that it was simple punch to the gut, his concern grew. Nevia almost had no intentions of waking up from her slumber and he felt it were his fault. She believed him dead because of his actions. And, even though he wished she could be with him forever, he meant that they would be truly alive together; smiling, laughing and enjoying themselves, that is the 'alive' he longed for.

When Krysta returned several hours ago, he finally learned the truth of it. As badly as his sense of justice was demanding that he search for Rune to punish him, he could not bare the thought of being away from Nevia just to pummel the bastard into a bloody pulp. He loved her too much to let her go even for a minute.

Nevia's eyes widened in wonder. "Erix?" she croaked.

He nodded, a smile easing the tension from his face. He pulled her close and embraced her tightly. A comforting warmth filled him to the brim. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"...I should be the one saying that," she murmured, her hands weakly encircling him. "What happened? ... ugh, I feel so weak..."

Sitting up with her still in his arms, Erix nodded and rubbed his cheek against her hair as he spoke, handing the thirsty woman a goblet of water as he went on explaining the events of yesterday and trying desperately to down play his emotions. He failed at that though. His concern, his sorrows, his joy, his everything was clearly written upon his face and etched in his voice.

Nevia's eyelids lowered, "I see..." she flicked a glance up to him with a small smile. "I'm glad..."

"Can you forgive me...?" he asked softly, taking the goblet away from her and affectionately squeezing her hand.

She nodded. "Of course... but..." her voice trailed off.

"But what?" his words nearly caught in his throat. He was terrified what the exception would be.

"... Can we forget about Fara?" she asked, her face turning serious. "Even though you did sleep with her... I'd prefer that to be something we never speak of." She lowered her eyes. "I know Rune fooled us both but... it's still there and--"

He pressed his hand over her mouth to stop her. "Of course." Removing his hand, it fell to her shoulder, gently squeezing the soft silky skin. "I love you so much..."

"Same..." she uttered softly as her eyelids lowered again. She leaned her head against Erix's shoulder. "I feel so weak still..."

"Just rest then," the paladin replied, slowly moving her out of her sitting position. He lay her upon the bed with him; her face still pressed against his muscled shoulder. With his shirt off, he could feel the heat from Nevia's skin warming him... not that he needed any warming, but it was comforting to feel her so near.

"No... I want to talk with you some more..." she weakly protested, her voice getting softer.

His eyes danced to the window. The gentle light of the afternoon sun streamed into the room, reaching out and stretching over his and Nevia's sleep-ready forms. "Aren't you tired?"

She frowned. "Not for you... but..." her voice trailed off with an uneven frown.

"What is it?" Erix's heart clenched in dread. Was she going to say something horrible? Maybe she changed her mind... maybe Krysta was completely off about what she felt. It was possible right? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit....! he thought to himself, trying to stop his pulse from hammering so fast that it seemed it was humming.

Nevia's hand fell to her head, running along her scalp and stopping at the back of her head. "There's some weird bump here..." She took his hand in hers and pressed his fingers to the sore spot. "Feel it?"

Confirming his touch, he nodded. His eyes lowered to her gaze, locking with it. Neither of them moved. His hand remained frozen to the back of her head and he felt a surge of energy rush through him from his contact with her. It was intense... a white hot energy, rushing through his limbs, to his fingertips, toes and loins. It was special feeling... much like how he viewed her. Neither of them were willing to look away; not wanting to be the cruel one for destroying such a moment.

Erix then moved ever so subtly. His hand pressed against the back of her head slid down until it was comfortably above her nape. The silky raven strands felt so soft beneath his touch as he gently coaxed her up towards him. 

"I love you..." He lifted his head until his lips gently molded against hers.

Despite her slight fatigue and the pain from where Atma's clay pot had connected to her head, she pressed her mouth insistently against him. Eyes still open, she felt rather embarrassed by her bold actions and instantly a blush appeared upon her face. Hesitantly, she pulled her lips away from him.

"I love you too..." She glanced away shyly.

Erix stared at her intensely. His lips took on the shape of a coy smile before he determinedly pulled her back to him. He slanted his mouth across hers, pouring all his effort and emotion out of his mouth and into her... along with his tongue that gently flicked her closed lips.

Her eyes widened at first. She was in shock. Even though she had been quite confident the last time they were in that room, she couldn't find the courage she had then. Where had it gone? She closed her eyes and parted her mouth, inviting his tongue to meet her own. She felt his hands rove her body as he kissed her ardently, tasting whatever sweetness her mouth could offer him.

Delicious heated-tremors flew through her lithe body as she felt her blood quicken. Determined to give him back the pleasure she was feeling, her hands explored his body. Her mind reveled in the thought of how different their bodies are. With her hands she admired the corded strength of his neck and the expanse of his shoulders. The feel was so very different... so different than hers. As though wrought of steel, she thought, savoring the hard feel of him beneath her fingertips and curved into her small palms.

One broad palm slid around her clothed body to her chest, cupping one breast lovingly. The sudden teasing of his fingers caused her to murmur his name into his mouth. She felt his lips curl into a small smile in response. Erix was feeling light-headed yet the air around the two of them felt thick and heavy. He could barely handle the thrill he felt whenever Nevia moaned or murmured his name. It was a drug... one hit and he must come back for more; he was addicted to her.

Acting again, his hand this time slipped beneath the soft green material of her blouse.

Nevia gasped. The feel of his hand against her bare flesh sent a ripple of flames into her, spreading out from wherever her body came in contact with his. She had never felt this way before, except maybe in dreams or her daydreams, but the real thing was seemed so much more enjoyable to her.

Nibbling on her bottom lip once he broke the kiss, Erix's hands took Nevia's and placed them to the edge of her green blouse as a sign. She immediately peeled off her top (though a little saddened to end the kiss to lift if over her head) and tossed it behind her.

The shyness returned and she nearly crossed her hands over her breasts. Erix stopped her from managing it. He shook his head and caught her in his arms, rolling upon the bed until she lay beneath him, staring wide-eyed up into his dark irises. "No, you don't have to hide yourself from me. You are..." his eyes swept over her body, "...so beautiful." He nervously swallowed. "I-I'm not too heavy for you, am I?"

Nevia smiled and shook her head. "No... I'll be alright." She frowned when he raised himself onto his elbows. "Erix, I said I'd be--" her words stopped short once Erix's hands worked its magic on her body again. She could feel the sudden urgent feeling building within her body and spreading like wildfire.

"I love you, Nevia..." Erix kissed her again, more passionately than the last time. He kissed her as though he meant to consume her entire being... and she loved every moment of it. She felt his weight come down upon her as her breast was released. The other hand trailed down her side along the curve, resting upon the green skirt she still wore. She moaned again. She could feel the imprint of his desire against her body. Even though she was unsure of what to expect within the hour and the next day, she couldn't stop. Not now... not here. She wanted to feel him without cloth to hide their bodies. She wanted to give herself to him entirely and enjoy whatever feeling he gave from her offering. 

His hand searched for the tie that kept them from the pleasure that a man and woman could experience. He quickly found it and impatiently fumbled with the knots. He couldn't untie her skirt. Breaking the kiss with a grumble, his eyebrow furrowed as he fidgeted with it more determinedly.

Nevia watched his face, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing at his comical expression. It was like a child's expression as though friends were teasing him. Her smile widened once he caught sight of her obvious amusement. "I know... it's hard, isn't it?" she smiled.

It was Erix's turn to present an amused look. "Indeed I am."

Her face flushed red. "I meant removing the skirt," she quickly replied, looking away from his penetrating eyes. She could feel his gaze burning hotly into her flesh already aflame from desire. Truth be told, she felt no fear in his arms. Although innocent, she couldn't deny that the earthly urges she felt were unnatural. They felt as real and right as breathing. And in taking a deep quivering breath, she inhaled the familiar male scent of Erix's presence: a wildly intoxicating fragrance that spilled and spread into her mind and body much like the clouds stirred up in water.

"Look at me, Nev," he suddenly ordered as he slightly lifted his weight from her body.

Brought out of her thoughts in confusion, she turned to him, obviously worried. His expression was soft as he suddenly ripped her skirt clean off her body. She gasped at the ripping sound and stared oddly at his wolfish smile. That smile disappeared out of sight as he lowered his head to kiss the soft flesh of her neck.

"I love that look," he whispered huskily. A soft burning sensation was left wherever his lips graced a kiss upon her skin. "I want you to know that you don't have to be embarrassed or shy around me. It won't change how I feel about you." And, from the look in his eyes when his gaze met hers, he truly meant every word of it.

Nodding, she answered him in a soft breathless voice as his hand teasingly ran up along her side. "I see..." Nevia smiled flippantly, a sudden bolt of courage out of the blue came running through her. Her hand quickly crept between them and squeezed his body where a tent was forming.

He groaned, his eyes turning hazy. "Impatient?" he asked teasingly, a faint trace of a chuckle in her voice.

"I should leave you to prove you wrong then," she responded devilishly, placing her hands on his chest to push herself free of him. Responding with a girlish smirk, she felt a small sense of victory at the shock flashing through his eyes. Her smirk was quickly covered with a quick kiss and her coy attempt was destroyed once Erix lowered his body again, pinning her beneath his weight.

"No, love." He nuzzled her neck with a little growl. "You're not going anywhere. Not tonight." His lips met hers for another deep kiss. His hands slid over the soft skin, exploring every luscious and graceful curve of her body. His eyes opened during the kiss briefly and found himself staring into her open eyes.

Peeking, I see... he thought, a smile appearing. His tongue danced with hers more sensuously while one of his hands trailed down her body, his fingers teasing during its journey. He smiled, his pride, along with a certain part of him, swelled even more as his ministrations was rewarded with a sweet cry and the feel of Nevia's body pressed more urgently against his body as she arched her back.

"Eri--" Nevia never fully said his name. His mouth seized hers in a maddening kiss; his tongue matching the rhythm of his hands. The sounds from her throat graced his tongue as he kissed her. She suddenly felt a rush of greed; she wanted more. Her hips grinded against his hand as Erix fed her greed.

Letting her lips go, Erix groaned. "God, Nevia..." He then flicked a glance at her. With her head tilted back over the pillow and her eyes closed, she was emitting soft throaty moans. Her flawless skin was now covered in a thin sheen of perspiration..

"Ahhh...." Taking several deep breaths, she licked her lips and lifted her head to gaze upon her lover. "Erix... please... now. "

He nodded, understanding her request. His body straightened as his hands worked at the braided cord of his pants. His fingers trembled as he fumbled with the knot, trying to be patient despite his urge to rip the hindrance away. He tugged at the cord again with a frown and a crease upon his forehead. He swore under his breath and tried to press his nail into the knot to loosen it.

Oh dear... Nevia thought with an inappropriate giggle that tugged even more at a corner of Erix's frowning mouth. Now trouble with his pants. Maybe this is a sign.

Voicing her thoughts for Erix to hear, she laughed at his response. His eyes had widened in dismay before he blurted out, "No!" 

"Eager, I see," she replied with a teasing smile, her hands slipping over his takeover the task. Erix tried to protest, but Nevia refused to listen. She pinched the cord with her nails, trying to undo the knot; it was a horribly stubborn knot. The familiar frown crossed Nevia's face. Pulling the cord closer to her, she leaned forward and opened her mouth--she froze when the cord, as well as a certain clothed organ, was inches away from her face. She quickly pulled away with an obvious blush spreading.

Erix laughed in disbelief. "You were going to bite the cord?"

Her face burned brighter as she turned her head away, "Don't laugh at me..."

He apologized, brushing his lips over hers. "It's just.... amusing."

With that, he finally broke the cord and pushed the article of clothing past his hips and buttocks. He could feel Nevia's eyes on him as he peeled the stiff cloth from his body, tossing it over the bed once his ankles were free.

Nevia had stopped breathing without realizing it. Dear God... she thought, staring at his nude form, forgetting all about her modesty. Her eyes trailed up and down his gloriously naked body, but it always found its way back to one spot. She was so fascinated by every part of his body, she failed to realize the goofy grin upon her face. Also, because of her lack of familiarity with the male body, her realization scared her.

A masculine blush ran across Erix's face before he crawled towards her, stopping himself before he going on top of her. "I take it I have your approval?"

She nodded, barely whispering, "Yes."

"What's wrong?" he asked, startled by her sudden change in expression.

She glanced away nervously, "No... you're gonna think I'm being silly."

"Try me."

Hesitant for a few seconds as her mind battled with itself, she finally spoke up, "Are you sure you're going to fit?"

"We'll find out soon enough, love." An inappropriate laugh followed as Erix continued his seduction. His eyes closed as he bent his head to part her lips with his own 

Growing nervous at the thought of his size against hers, she watched his face for any change as she lay in his strong arms, trusting him despite her fear from inexperience. Her vision swirled, turning hazy as she felt it; the first contact. A delicious shiver of delayed longing ran through her body with a soft and startled "Ah."

Little by little she was filled with him, her body shaking still out of fear, unsure of what to expect. A small pang of pain flew out from their joining. She must've made her discomfort too obvious, for Erix froze, staring wide-eyed.

Noo... don't stop, she thought, tempted to press her hands down upon his bottom to force him further into her. You won't hurt me!

It's still there... his thoughts trailed, a strange joy seeping into him. He brushed his lips to her brow and smiled. "This is going to hurt... Are you ready?" After her reluctant nod, he swallowed nervously and pressed further against the fragile barrier. It ruptured quickly and he found himself sheathed within her depths. 

Erix clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. His breath was caught in his throat as he felt the flesh closed hot and slick all around him and her muscles tightening in a glorious embrace. Nevia's cry of pain deteriorated some of the pleasure Erix took in being her first lover. A helpless tear sprung from her eye and was brushed away quickly as it had appeared. Lips trailed along her face, pressing for a kiss on the softness of her face to soothe the pain she had felt.

Slick movements -- the quickened tempo was a blur to the both of them. Time didn't matter at all, for there would be much more of it later. Nevia's mind was swimming furiously against all the emotions that flooded her. She held her breath, feeling the exquisite pressure build inside her. Fascinated, she watched Erix's face tense and his eyes close in concentration.

He was nearly at his end, he knew it, and there was no hope in delaying it any more. Lost in her body, Erix opened his eyes to gaze upon her and, with a final thrust, buried himself deep inside her and let all his pent-up longing burst forth into her body before collapsing atop hers.

She moaned, feeling the liquid warmth inside her with an unfamiliar sense of completeness. His weight fell upon her and she smiled, winding her arms around him and listening to his breathing slow down as well as her own. "I love you," she murmured, pressing her lips to his sweat-dappled forehead.

Rolling off of her, he squeezed her hand affectionately then pulled her into his welcoming embrace. "I love you too."

Erix's own sheepish smile came in response to hers as his eyes closed, his arms wrapping around her in the possessive and protective arms of a devoted lover. His thoughts drifted to the silver clouds where dreams of Nevia seemed more possible and reachable than ever before. The longing he had felt with her for the past few years had melted away. There was no reason to long for her anymore when he could do what he knew felt right...love her. All that remained was the one word that rang out clear from his dreams:

Forever.

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Note: I am working on rewriting the sequel right now. It's called "Visions of you." Also working on writing the new story after that. So, heads up, everyone. ^_^


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